Bhubaneswar, August 24: Three Chinese nationals visiting Odisha for agricultural machinery business were allegedly robbed by a taxi driver in the state capital. Following swift police intervention, the missing cash was recovered and returned to them within an hour.

According to information available, the three Chinese nationals had travelled to Odisha to promote agricultural machinery. They initially stayed at a hotel in the Saheed Nagar area and hired a cab through a local travel agency with the help of an Odia associate.

The trio travelled to various parts of Balasore for two days and later returned to Bhubaneswar in the same vehicle. They subsequently checked into a pre-booked hotel in the Kharavela Nagar area.

Before leaving for the airport to catch their flight to China, they discovered that 900 Chinese renminbi (RMB), worth approximately ₹1 lakh, along with ₹18,000 in Indian currency, was missing from their bag.

Concerned about the loss, the three foreign nationals, accompanied by their Odia associate, approached Kharavela Nagar police and reported the incident.

The police station immediately informed Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena, who personally spoke to the three Chinese nationals and took details of the incident.

Acting on the DCP's directions, the Special Squad launched an immediate search for the taxi driver. Police examined CCTV footage from the hotel and traced the vehicle using its registration number.

A police team subsequently located the driver and recovered the missing money. The cash was then handed back to the Chinese nationals staying at the hotel.

The three visitors thanked DCP Jagmohan Meena and the Bhubaneswar Police for their prompt action, which led to the recovery of their money within about an hour.

It is learnt that no formal complaint has been registered at the police station in connection with the incident so far.