Baripada: Digging tunnels to loot hidden valuables seems to be the new trend among thieves these days.
Following the sensational case of a gang digging a tunnel to steal a large quantity of silver from the basement of a doctor’s house in Jaipur, Rajasthan last month, a somewhat similar case has been reported in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.
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According to Baripada police, miscreants have dug a tunnel leading to the memorial of Mayurbhanj Maharaja Sriramchandra Bhanjdeo at Madhuban. The origin of the 3-ft-long tunnel lay at a protected private land owned by one Fakir Nayak, police said.
The matter came to light when a guard visited the site to water the plants and found the tunnel on Wednesday evening. He immediately informed Nayak, who alerted police.
“We suspect that the tunnel could be dug up by miscreants to steal valuables they think might be buried underneath,” said Baripada town IIC Birendra Senapati.
Last year, Praveen Chandra Bhanj Deo had intended to shift the memorial to his own palace at Belgadia, but dropped the plan following protests, The New Indian Express reported.
