JHARSUGUDA: Jharsuguda police on Friday arrested four persons for reportedly duping elderly woman of their gold ornaments by masquerading as sadhus from Haridwar.
The accused are Shahid (28), Md Ikbal (31), Johar Ali (21), and Md Islam (42), all natives of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
IG Northern range Himanshu Lal said posing as sadhus from Haridwar, the four accused targeted elderly women in Jharsuguda and Belpahar. They travelled on two motorcycles in search of gullible women. After identifying their victims, they would lure them by making false predictions and claiming that their wishes were unfulfilled.
The gang convinced the victims to undergo a ‘Suddhikriya’ ritual, instructing them to place their gold ornaments in a bag. During the ritual, the accused would steal the ornaments and flee on their bikes, he said.
On February 11, the accused looted gold ornaments and mobile phones from a woman, Ritamanjari Sahu, at Gumadera in Belpahar adopting the same modus operandi. The next day, a similar crime was reported from Sarbahal in Jharsuguda where Nirupama Nayak, the victim, was looted by the four accused on the pretext of the ‘Suddhikriya’ ritual.
After registering two separate cases in Belpahar and Jharsuguda police stations, the cops formed separate teams and launched an investigation. Using CCTV footage, the movements of the accused were tracked, leading to their arrest in Sambalpur. During interrogation, the accused confessed to their crimes and revealed their modus operandi, said police.
A number of stolen gold ornaments including bangles, rings, chains, earrings and lockets besides four mobile phones were recovered from the possession of the accused. Police also seized two motorcycles, Rs 2,150 cash and personal items including their Aadhaar cards from them.
Police said the four accused are being questioned to ascertain the involvement of others in the crime. They will be produced in court on Saturday. Further investigation is underway.