Sambalpur Police achieved a major breakthrough by busting a women-led gold snatching racket that spread terror across four states.
Police arrested six women from different districts, including J. Bhanumati, Deepa Das, Kalyani Das, Priya Das, S. Thara, and Pooja Singh. Officers seized five gold plates weighing 51.75 grams, Rs 62,400 in cash, mobile phones, a hand cutter, fake voter IDs, and large quantities of imitation stones and fancy ornaments.
The gang targeted crowded religious festivals and temple gatherings, posing as stone and ornament sellers. They planned operations around events like Dol Purnima, Rath Yatra, Magha Panchami, and Dhanuyatra. CCTV footage from the Samaleswari temple in Sambalpur helped police identify the culprits after they snatched five gold chains from devotees on January 22.
Investigations revealed the gang operated across Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu. Police recovered visiting cards from 30 hotels across these states, confirming their wide network. In Odisha, they were active in districts including Bargarh, Subarnapur, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Puri, Cuttack, Khordha, Bhubaneswar, Bhadrak, and Berhampur.
Sambalpur SP Mukesh Kumar Bhamu said the accused admitted to planning thefts during major festivals to exploit large crowds. Police teams tracked them across multiple states before arresting them in Bhubaneswar. The gang’s exposure marks a significant success in tackling inter-state chain snatching operations.
