Berhampur: An inter-state dacoit gang allegedly involved in dacoities in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh was busted by Golanthara police in Ganjam district with the arrest of four members, including three from Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday, police said on Sunday.They were identified as P Loknath (46) of Krishnanagar, Madhurwada, Y Rabindra Babu (37) of Anandapuram, Vulla Satyanarayan (45) of Gajuwaka in Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh and Badri Trinath Rao (55) of Kapustreet in Berhampur.Cash of Rs 6.92 lakh, which was stolen near Golanthara, a car with registration in Andhra Pradesh, 14 phones with a Wi-Fi device, two fake number plates of the vehicle and eight fake gold pieces were seized from them. They were allegedly involved in a daylight dacoity where they looted Rs 35 lakh from a person in Hanspur near Chhatrapur, under the guise of a land deal on Aug 10, said SP (Berhampur) Saravana Vivek M. Two more, including the main accused, remains absconding and a search is on to nab them, he said.Police said one of the accused called the victim on Aug 10 to Chati Chowk, near Golanthara, for receiving an advance of Rs 35 lakh to buy land. Upon reaching the spot, unknown persons arrived in a car and snatched the bag containing cash and the victim’s phone and fled away. Police recovered a photocopy of an Aadhaar card of one of the accused, and two teams of police officers were formed. Coordinated raids were conducted in different places in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, leading to the arrest of four persons, said SP.Investigation revealed that the accused persons form an organised inter-state dacoit gang which lures innocent persons in the two states by offering land and gold at highly discounted rates. Victims are called to isolated locations and are robbed of their valuables. They were found involved in such dacoity cases in Berhampur, Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. The gang was reported to have used a police siren to create a distraction and prevent public interference. They changed number plates to avoid detection.
