On Camera, Masked Robber Strikes At Odisha Ex-Congress Chief’s Residence In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: An unidentified miscreant allegedly looted cash and gold ornaments worth over Rs 30 lakh from the residence of senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik in the upscale VIP Colony under Nayapalli police limits in Bhubaneswar in the early hours of Sunday.

The looter, who had covered his face with a cloth and was wearing gloves, was caught on CCTV cameras installed in the house.

Speaking to media on Sunday, the former OPCC president said the robber entered the floor in which his son stays. “I live on the first floor. My son and daughter-in-law were away at Satapada when the robbery took place. His two sons returned home around 2.40 pm after having dinner at my elder brother’s house at Friend’s Colony and the younger one could sense presence of someone in the bedroom of his parents,” he said.

The robber, however, locked the room from inside and escaped by breaking the window. It is being suspected that he stayed inside the house for around an hour.

“The robber entered the house at around 2.39 am and stayed put for an hour. Some cash was stolen from my travel suitcase. He also took ornaments by breaking the almirahs. When my son alerted the scurity, he locked the room from inside and fled by breaking the window. They had opened the windows after entering the room,” said Debajyoti Patnaik, son of Niranjan Patnaik.

He further stated that they suspect it to be the work of a professional robber.

Nayapalli police have started an investigation into the incident.