Odisha: Racket stealing valuables from panchayat offices, schools busted; 5 held

Bhubaneswar: The police today claimed to have busted a racket involved in the theft of valuables from schools, Anganwadi centres and panchayat offices in Odisha’s Sundargarh district.

The police have arrested five persons in this regard. The accused have been identified as Padmana Patra of Sargidih village in Sambalpur, Sanjay Keshari and Swarup Keshari of Badagaon, Chitrasen Magar of Mundagaon, Dushmant Swain of Kujang in Jagatsinghpur district.

The racket comprising Padmana, Sanjay, Swarup and Chitrasen was involved in a series of theft from schools, panchayat offices and Anganwadi centres in Sundargarh Sadar, Dhuruadih, Bhasma, Talsara, and Kinjirikela areas of the district, said a police officer.

The members of the racket were stealing television sets, water pumps, inverters, LPG cylinders, fans, solar panels and other valuables from schools, Anganwadi centres and panchayat offices by breaking open the locks at night, he added.

“The members of the racket were selling the stolen goods to Dushmant and a few other people,” said the official.

The police have seized three television sets, 16 inverter batteries, four inverters, 10 fans, 26 solar panels, a fridge and a printer worth around Rs 15 lakh from the arrested persons. They have also seized two four-wheelers and a two-wheeler from the accused, sources said.

The accused have been booked in several theft cases at Sundargarh, Dharuadih, Talsara and Kinjirkela police stations, sources added.