Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar city police on Wednesday secured a conviction in a theft case just 18 days after the registration of the First Information Report (FIR).
The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC-IV) court of Somesh Somyajit Panda sentenced 26-year-old Sunil Sethy to one year of imprisonment alongside a fine of ₹5,000.
The case dates back to August 8, when Abinash Pritam Nayak, owner of Ellux Car Care on Tankapani Road in Badagada area, lodged a complaint, alleging that five mobile phones and a motorcycle had been stolen from his workplace early that morning by one of his employees.
Following which, Badagada police registered a case under Section 306 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and entrusted the probe to Sub-Inspector Rajesh Kumar Gouda. Sethy was arrested the following day on basis of crucial CCTV footage from the premises. Moving at a swift pace, SI Gouda submitted the complete chargesheet on August 14, just five days after the case’s registration.
The trial commenced expeditiously on August 17. To build an airtight case, the prosecution examined nine witnesses and presented 15 documentary exhibits, prominently featuring the CCTV records accompanied by proper certification under Section 63(4) of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA).
Delivering the judgment on August 26, the court pronounced Sethy guilty based on the physical evidence and eyewitness testimonies.
Senior police officials hailed the rapid turnaround—spanning just 18 days from FIR to final sentencing, as a significant procedural milestone, highlighting the potential for fast-track justice through seamless collaboration between investigating agencies and the judiciary.