Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police on Friday arrested a habitual offender for breaking into a parked car at Capital Hospital here and stealing an iPhone-15 along with Rs 25,000 in cash.
The arrested have been identified as Rakesh Khuntia alias Tutulu (25), a native of Sithal village in Jagatsinghpur district who currently resides at Kali Mandir Basti in Unit-VI area in the city.
The incident occurred on March 26.
According to the complaint filed by Ranjit Biswal of Dhenkanal, he had parked his car in the Capital Hospital parking lot while seeking medical treatment. Upon returning, he found the window glass shattered and his iPhone-15 missing along with Rs 25,000 in cash. Following which, he approached the Capital police station, which registered a case under Sections 305(a) (theft from a means of transport, such as a vehicle) and 324(4) (related to mischief or criminal trespass in this context) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Police apprehended the accused with the GPS tracker in the stolen mobile phone while he was attempting to sell it at Bapuji Nagar here. The stolen iPhone-15 was recovered from him.
Subsequent investigations revealed that Khuntia was a habitual offender with alleged involvement in as many as 17 previous criminal cases. Further investigation is underway to ascertain his involvement in other similar theft cases in the city.
