Bhawanipatna: Bringing an end to the reign of terror unleashed by a gang of robbers in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, police have arrested 10 dacoits.
According to sources, the gang was on a spree of robbery from houses in the district for the last one fortnight. In the first incident that kicked off a trail of fear, 14 armed men, with their faces covered, attacked the house of Gautam Bihari, a businessman of Khandidangriguda in Jaipatna on July 15. Though the dacoits’ plan foiled, the entire episode was recorded on CCTV.
It was followed by several such cases in Bhawanipatna, Kalopla, Moter, Junagarh, Koksara and others where the robbers looted money and valuables. The robbers armed with lethal weapons used to come in a vehicle not having registration number in the night. They forcible entered the houses brandishing weapons and looted the families.
Frightened by the spree of incidents, the villagers spent sleepless nights protecting their families and properties. This led to the youths of villages to take up the responsibility of guarding the villages. Any outsider to the village came under suspicion and detained by the night guards. After verification of his identity, he was released.
Following such cases, police formed a special squad to investigate and nab the dacoits. The team carried out raids in Kalahandi and neighbouring districts on the basis of information regarding the gang. Finally, the police arrested 10 members of the gang from different places in Kalahandi and Nabarangpur districts.
Speaking to media persons on Saturday, Kalahandi district SP Abhilash G confirmed the arrest of the gang of robbers. The special squad also seized gold jewellery of 40.49 gram, silver ornaments of 448 gram, ATM cards, Rs 6.35 lakh in cash, 5 motorcycles, 11 mobile pho0nes and passbooks of bank accounts from the possession of the arrested persons, the SP added.
He also appealed to the people not to be afraid of the robbers and desist from guarding their villages which was causing discomfort to innocent persons.
