Bhubaneswar: Medicine shop looter gang busted; Modus operandi revealed

Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police today busted a gang having alleged involvement in looting cash from various medicine shops in the city since January 20 and arrested four persons in this connection.

Police have seized Rs 39,000 and four mobile phones from their possession. The accused have been identified as Raju Singh (43), Sankar Dey (31), Suranjan Biswas (35) and Dipak Biswas (50), all hailing from West Bengal.

According to police sources, mastermind Raju and his three associates initially came to Berhampur from Howrah on January 12. They looted a cosmetic shop and a medicine store in Berhampur, and later reached Bhubaneswar by bus on January 17.

In the capital city, they looted medicine shops in Badagada, Nayapalli, Lingaraj and Kharavela Nagar areas on January 20, 21, 22 and 24, respectively.

Describing their modus operandi, police said one of the accused used to arrive at the medicine store posing as customer. He used to tender lesser money than the price of the medicine bought by him and flee the spot without paying the rest amount.

While the shopkeeper chases him to get the remaining amount, another member of the gang enters the shop in the meantime and decamps with cash from the cashbox.

As many as four cases related to similar offences are pending against Raju in West Bengal. While Raju used to deposit the looted money in his bank account, his associates received their share from him, police added.

While further investigation by police was underway, efforts were on by cops to ascertain the possible involvement of others in the offence.