Bhubaneswar, Oct 14: Kharvel Nagar police today busted a drug-and-loot gang with the arrest of four persons, including its mastermind Sarifa Khatun alias Muskaan.
The other accused have been identified as Ashok Behera (33) alias Landa of Gandhinagar in Ganjam, Purnachandra Sethi (33) of Itamati area in Nayagarh, Sushanta Rout (34) of Odagaon in Nayagarh. Muskaan (22) is a resident of Unit-III area in Bhubaneswar.
Police said that the gang was busted near Master Canteen while they were in the midst of planning a robbery targeting passengers near the Bhubaneswar railway station. Police have seized two motorcycles, a knife, cold drinks, and four strips of Lorazepam tablets, commonly used as a sedative.
"The female member of the gang typically lured passengers, offering them drugged food or beverages, and once they lost consciousness, the other members would proceed to rob them of their money and valuables." During the operation, two other suspects managed to evade capture,” said a police official.
The gang primarily focused on young individuals and armed forces personnel arriving at the city's railway station, the officer added, noting that all of those arrested had existing criminal cases pending against them.
