Nabarangpur district police foiled a major dacoity plan when Maidalpur Police arrested six persons during a surprise raid near Ambapani on NH-26 late Sunday night.
At around 11 PM, ASI Lokesh Kumar Bhoi received a tip-off and immediately launched a raid near Niladriguda village. Consequently, officers caught six suspects preparing for dacoity. However, one accomplice escaped by taking advantage of the darkness and dense forest.
Police seized 4 kg of fake gold conch shells, sharp knives, four packets of chilli powder, a Maruti XL6 car (OD 10 Y 4270), mobile phones, face masks, and cash worth ₹14,320. Moreover, investigators confirmed that the arrested suspects were residents of different parts of Nabarangpur district.
The accused were identified as Ram Chalana (29), Gopal Majhi (26), Astu Majhi (27), Krishna Panaka (25), Tripati Bindhani (20), and Umesh Raj Bharati (23). During interrogation, they admitted they were acting under the leadership of Balaram Harijan alias Bala. Meanwhile, Bala managed to flee the scene and remains absconding.
Additional SP Adityasen informed reporters that police registered the case under Maidalpur P.S. Case No. 120/25. He added that the six arrested suspects will be forwarded to court. Furthermore, senior officials, including SDPO Satyajit Kandanakel, IIC Bipin Kumar Kuldeep, ASI Kamal Lochan Nayak, and ASI Lokesh Kumar Bhoi, supervised the operation.
