BHUBANESWAR : Amid a series of robberies at residential complexes in the city, a special squad of Commissionerate Police on Thursday busted an inter-state’ apartment lootera gang’ and arrested two persons in this connection.
The accused are Dinesh Kumar Saha (42) from Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Pawan Kumar (36) from Mahendragarh in Haryana. Two other members of the gang identified by the police are still at large.
DCP Prateek Singh said the two were arrested for their alleged involvement in a loot incident at Nirupama Apartment in Nayapalli on December 23 in which miscreants had decamped with Rs 13 lakh in cash. Nayapalli police followed the video clue and identified some persons and apprehended the accused.
As per police, the gang having more than 20 members is involved in more than 20 cases in different states including Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and Odisha for the last 10 years. Such gangs use new cars and cars with fake registration numbers and conduct recce of apartments in groups of three to four. Apartments without security guards or less and where there is no frisking system are their primary targets. The gang members mostly commit the crime in the afternoon or late at night when most people are inside their homes and there is less activity.
The DCP said the gang commits the crime in a coordinated manner. “We suspect other members of the group were involved in the loot from a house in Nayapalli last year. The suspects have been identified and efforts are on to apprehend them. Besides, the involvement of the accused in other cases of loot in apartments will be examined”, he said.
Police seized a white Hyundai car used in the crime, Rs 2.15 lakh in cash and mobile phones from the accused.
