Chatra: Police claimed to have busted an interstate theft syndicate with the arrest of a 30-year-old man from Odisha on Saturday in connection with the theft of jewellery worth around Rs 60 lakh from the bike dickey of jeweller Dilip Soni at Chatra’s Itkhori market on July 12.The accused was identified as Deepak Pradhan of Dasamania village in Odisha’s Jajpur district. He is alleged to be an active member of the notorious Odisha-based Gulgulia gang.Addressing a news conference on Sunday, Chatra SP Animesh Naithany said the gang was headed by Akash Pradhan, who recruited youths from Dasamania and nearby villages and deployed them across states for organised theft and snatching.Naithany said gang members were given specialised training in Hyderabad, where they learnt how to open motorcycle and car dickeys without damage, conduct reconnaissance, conceal their identities in crowded places and flee after committing crimes. After training, they were sent to different states to execute planned thefts.Police said Akash allegedly paid members up to Rs 1 lakh a month, making the syndicate highly organised. Investigators are probing its operations in several states and verifying the criminal records of members.Police said that Deepak kept watch on Soni’s jewellery shop for several days. He later posed as a customer and offered to sell 500 grams of stolen gold at a cheaper price. On this pretext, he gathered details about Soni’s routine, movements and how jewellery was transported, before the gang targeted the jeweller.Naithany said preliminary investigation suggests the accused had earlier targeted jewellers in Pathalgada and Jori police station areas of Chatra. Police are trying to recover the stolen jewellery.
The accused in police custody
