BHUBANESWAR: Cocking a snook at the Commissionerate Police, two armed miscreants stole gold ornaments worth Rs 8 lakh from a jewellery store at gunpoint in Janla, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday. The broad daylight robbery took place just 300 metres away from Janla police outpost and three km from Info Valley police station.
Wearing helmets, the motorcycle-borne miscreants arrived at the jewellery store of Kaviraj Subudhi in Janla under Info Valley police limits at around 1.15 pm. Subudhi and a staff member were present in the store when the miscreants entered. One of the miscreants sprayed something into Subudhi’s eyes who then pressed a siren installed in his shop to alert locals about the emergency. However, before help could arrive, the miscreants robbed necklaces, chains and other ornaments at gun-point.
When the miscreants tried to leave the shop, their motorcycle failed to start. While the two were trying to start it, Subudhi attempted to stop them using a stick. One of them opened fire at Subudhi but the latter managed to escape. He also fired two rounds in air to prevent locals from approaching the spot.
The miscreants then pushed their motorcycle in a desperate attempt to flee and then waylaid a courier firm’s staff a few metres ahead of the jewellery store. They snatched his motorcycle at gun-point and escaped.
The entire incident was captured in CCTV cameras and the footage went viral on social media within minutes of the crime. “Two criminals took away ornaments worth Rs 8 lakh to Rs 10 lakh by threatening me at gun-point. When I attempted to chase them, they opened fire at me but I managed to escape unhurt,” a disturbed Subudhi told the mediapersons.
After the incident, Special Squad in-charge Sanjeev Satpathy and other officers visited the spot to investigate the matter. They recovered three bullet shells near the shop. “A case under Arms Act and other relevant sections has been registered and efforts are on to identify and nab the accused,” said Satpathy.
The rise in robbery cases not only indicates the deteriorating law and order situation in the State Capital but also has another alarming side to it - poor detection rate. About 2, 929 robbery/theft cases were registered in Bhubaneswar Urban Police District between January and December 15 last year. Out of them, cops managed to detect only 1,151 cases. The detection rate in the Capital City stands at a meagre 39.29 per cent. Needless to say, anti-socials continue to strike with scant fear of the cops.