Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police have cracked a series of gold chain snatching incidents across Bhubaneswar with the arrest of a husband and wife duo and a receiver involved in the crimes.
Those arrested have been identified as Rakesh Rout (35), a resident of Bharatpur in Bhubaneswar, his wife Swetalina Behera (27) and Golekh Chandra Sathua (65) from Gopapur village in Nischintakoili, who acted as a receiver for the stolen jewellery. Eight stolen gold chains were recovered following the breakthrough.
Addressing a presser, Commissioner of Police (CP) Suresh Dev Datta Singh on Tuesday said that one Ranjan Kumar Prusty has filed a complaint at Chandrasekharpur police station, alleging that an unidentified man snatched a gold chain from his mother, Sanjukta Prusty, while she was sitting outside Annapurna Jewellery in Niladri Vihar on December 24, 2025. “While connecting the dots based on evidence during the investigation, police zeroed in on Rout. A total of eight gold chains were recovered which helped solve six cases. He is involved in nine snatching cases, six of which are recent,” he said.
Elaborating on his modus operandi, the CP further stated that Rout had been renting a Yamaha MT-15 motorcycle from a shop in Baramunda to commit snatching across the city. “The couple operated as a team: Rout would drop his wife near the target location, commit the snatching, and pick her up afterward. This was done to mislead investigators, who would check CCTV footage looking for one person riding a motorcycle, and the couple would go undetected.. He also concealed the vehicle’s number plate with cloth and changed his clothes immediately after each crime,” he said.
Swetalina reportedly also assisted in disposing of the stolen gold chains.
“Further probe revealed that Rout was a repeat offender with prior cases and had resumed criminal activities recently along with his wife,” the CP said, adding that the eight gold chains will be returned to their rightful owners.
Police sources said that four chains were recovered from a Punjab National Bank branch in Baramunda where they had been mortgaged, and two more were recovered from the receiver. Additionally, a Swift Dzire car and the motorcycle used in the crimes were seized.