Bhubaneswar: A man posing as a motivational speaker was arrested by the police in Bhubaneswar for allegedly indulging in theft at a house in the city.
Police sources said accused Manoj Kumar Singh of Cuttack was running an online channel and delivering motivational talks. He reportedly used to advise people to refrain from indulging in criminal activities.
However, police found that Singh himself indulged in criminal activities and indulged in burglaries despite giving sermons through his channel, Commissioner of Police Suresh Dev Datta Singh told reporters in Bhubaneswar.
The arrest was made following a complaint lodged by a resident of Bharatpur area. The accused, a professional thief, had allegedly looted around 300 grams of gold jewellery and Rs five lakh cash from the house located in Khandagiri Bari locality of Bharatpur police station limit on August 14.
The accused is a habitual day-time burglar who specifically targets locked houses. On the day of the incident, he traveled to the location using his two-wheeler, carrying an iron rod concealed in a bag. After identifying the locked residence, he broke open the main door and then the almirah inside, completing the theft within ten minutes. He made away with gold ornaments and cash.
During investigation, it was revealed that the accused had mortgaged 82 grams of the stolen gold at UNI Gold branch, Nayagarh, in exchange for Rs 4,73,000. The remaining 100 grams of gold and cash was recovered from his possession.
More than ten criminal cases have already been registered against Singh in different police stations in the capital city.
