[Watch] Thieves Turn House Looting Into Snack Time In Odisha Villages

Kendrapada: Committing theft in a novel style, looters relished puffed rice, mixture and other eatables before decamping with gold ornaments and valuables from houses in Patkura area of Odisha’s Kendrapada district.

According to sources, the unique incident happened at Gajipur and Dhana Mandal villages under the jurisdiction of Patkura police limits late on Tuesday when around half-a-dozen men broke the locks of two houses and committed the crime.

While valuables were stolen, the main attraction of the looters appeared to have been puffed rice, fried flattened rice, mixture and other snacks as they finished all these eatables stored in the houses.

The houses of Pratap Kumar Jena, a retired teacher of Gajipur village, and Laxmidhar Swain, a resident of nearby Dhana Mandal, were robbed by the group when the occupants were away.

Their entry and exit from the houses were captured by CCTV cameras, villagers said, adding that a CCTV camera was broken by the gang. Some of the thieves had covered their faces.

Stating that the crime was committed when he and his family had gone to a relative’s place in Bhubaneswar, Jena said the thieves targeted puffed rice and mixture besides breaking the almirahs and taking away valuables, including gold ornaments.

A similar incident took place in the house of Swain in the neighbouring village, where miscreants also ransacked household articles.

Jena, who lodged a complaint at Patkura police station on his return to the village, said incidents of theft were on the rise in the area and the police need to intensify patrolling in order to prevent such crimes.