Khandagiri Police arrested a notorious serial snatcher on Friday in connection with a string of gold chain snatching incidents across the Odisha capital.
The accused, identified as Lalat Pandit (31) alias “Kalia” from Khordha’s Nirakarpur area, was nabbed following a dramatic incident on NH-16 in front of Welcome Hotel on Oct 5.
Pandit had snatched a 3-gram gold Mangalsutra from the wife of Prakash Maharana of Chhatabar. When the victim courageously stopped his motorcycle and locals gave chase, the accused fell off the flyover while attempting to flee, sustaining severe injuries. Police rescued Pandit and admitted him to AIIMS Hospital for treatment.
Investigating officers revealed that Pandit was involved in multiple snatching incidents across Mancheswar, Tamando, and Nayapalli police jurisdictions on the same evening using the same motorcycle.
Police seized a motorcycle (OD 33 AZ 8693), a stolen vanity bag containing cash and a mobile phone, and approximately 30 grams of gold ornaments—including two gold chains and the snatched Mangalsutra. Background checks revealed a prior dacoity case against Pandit at Tangi Police Station. Police are seeking remand for further investigation into linked cases.
