Rourkela, Oct 29: The Odisha police have busted an inter-state gang that tricked unsuspecting individuals into handing over their gold under the pretense of cleaning it, arresting nine suspects in the process.
The operation began after a theft complaint was filed on September 19 at the Sector-7 police station in Rourkela. During the investigation, police uncovered the gang and recovered 103 grams of stolen gold, three motorcycles, seven mobile phones, and other incriminating materials, according to a police officer.
The arrested individuals, aged between 30 and 42, hail from Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha. They posed as agents for a well-known private company, offering complimentary gold cleaning services, explained Brijesh Kumar Rai, DIG of police for the Western Range.
While engaged in the cleaning process, the gang members would distract homeowners and make off with their gold.
The group operated in pairs, residing in a rented house in the Gopabandhupali area under the Plant Site police station. Since 2021, 27 similar cases with this modus operandi have been reported in the Rourkela police district, with this gang implicated in 21 of those incidents.
