Bhubaneswar, July 22: With the arrest of three noted criminals, the Airport police station in Bhubaneswar on Monday claimed to have busted a gold chain snatcher gang.
The accused have been identified as Sekh Niyamat aka Chhotu of West Bengal, Ganesh Purti of Balasore & Shankar Das of Jajpur. Police have seized four gold chains, three mobile phones, a bike and weapons from their possession.
According to the information, the gang operated across multiple cities, including Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. They primarily targeted morning walkers, especially women, using motorcycles to snatch gold chains. Their modus operandi involved brandishing sharp weapons to intimidate victims. To evade police capture, they frequently changed their operating locations between cities. Stolen goods were disposed of in Kolkata, and they resumed their activities every 6 to 7 days, repeating the cycle.
Ganesh and Sankar, who are brothers-in-law, were initially apprehended by the Bhubaneswar Police Department in January 2021 in connection with several cases. They were later convicted for a robbery in Cuttack, sentenced to seven years in prison. Following an appeal, they were granted bail by the High Court. After their release on bail, along with another individual, they formed a gang and began chain snatchings.
