Odisha’s ‘Crowbar Man’ Thief Arrested Again, This Time For Looting Medicine Store In Cuttack

Cuttack: Badambai Police here have arrested Hemant Das, a notorious criminal involved in over 500 burglary cases across Odisha in the last three decades.

He was arrested for allegedly stealing cash and others valuables from  a medicine store in Badambadi area, recently.

Last year, he was apprehended in connection with a robbery at Vikas Nagar in the city. Gold ornaments and cash were also seized from him possession. In 2021, he was nabbed by the cops while plotting a burglary in Cuttack city. He was also arrested by the special squad in Bhubaneswar in 2018 and two burglary cases in Puri in 2020. He usually went back to his old ways after being released on bail.

A resident of of Hatasahi under Lingaraj police limits in Bhubaneswar, Hemant, who was given the sobriquet ‘Crowbar Man’ for his audacious house break-ins, lived a high life by spending nights in five star hotels. He is said to have earned over Rs 4 to 5 crore from the burglaries in the last 35 years and spent all the money to maintain luxurious life.

He was first arrested in connection with a clash at BJB college at Bhubaneswar in the 1980s. During his stay in jail, he developed proximity with a burglar who taught him the tricks of the trade. From 1986 onwards, Hemant became a professional burglar. He has confessed to his involvement in over 500 cases including 100 burglary cases in Bhubaneswar alone, police sources said.

He was also active in is anti-social activities in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Delhi.

Hemant mostly used to the stolen cash to go on vacations to different parts of the country including Gangtok, Shimla and Jammu and Kashmir, the sources added.