BHUBANESWAR : The sensational burglary at senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik’s IRC village home was cracked with the arrest of a lone accused - Spider Satish - from Andhra Pradesh and recovery of stolen valuables and cash.
Police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh said the hunt lasted for 18 days and finally ended in Visakhapatnam where 38-year-old Karri Satti Babu was arrested. He carried aliases of Satheesh Reddy and Spider Satish.
The cops had to almost go through a spider’s web - analysis of over 400 CCTV cameras in Bhubaneswar, Sompeta, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram and verification of more than 10,000 mobile phone numbers in multiple states - to nab the accused who originally hailed from Bapuji Nagar Colony at Kotha Gajuwaka in Visakhapatnam but resided at Bheemilipatnam area.
Singh said the accused was a professional burglar and had left no clue at the crime spot making the case extremely difficult. Multiple investigation teams were formed and dispatched to different places in Odisha, Andhra Pradhesh, Karnataka and Kerala.
Police had found a lead after it zeroed in on an autorickshaw Satti Babu had taken from near IRC Village after cleaning up valuables worth over `50 lakh from Patnaik’s house on the intervening night of January 25 and 26. It had led the cops to the city bus stand where he hired a car - used by a diamond merchant - to drop him in Andhra Pradesh.
The police commissioner said assistance of AP and Kerala police was taken to obtain records from jails. Based on the CCTV footage, more than 40 criminals were checked and interrogated, while the police teams travelled more than 5,000 km over a period of 18 days following the trail of the thief after it came to light that he had been in jail in Kerala for three months in connection with theft of around 7 kg sovereigns of gold from a luxury villa in June last year.
The accused was involved in more than 100 property offence cases in different states including Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Police suspect his involvement in another robbery case in the same VIP area in 2023.
Satti Babu used to target posh areas and conduct recce after collecting information from Google and YouTube. Satti Babu allegedly entered the house through a sliding glass window and used the same for escape. The accused used gloves, shoes and mask to avoid leaving prints.
Apart from the stolen gold and diamond ornaments, police seized `7 lakh cash, a car, mobile phones, torch lights as well as shoes and apparels used during the crime from his possession.
“The accused has been forwarded to the court,” police said.