In a dramatic late-night operation, Infovalley Police Station personnel arrested two notorious dacoits after a 15-member armed gang carried out back-to-back dacoities on the busy Chandaka-Pitapalli road, terrorising drivers with guns and sharp weapons.
The gang struck twice in the early hours of June 30 — first around 3 AM near Pitapalli Mendhashal area and again around 4 AM — targeting vehicles involved in night-time moram mining operations.
Acting on specific information, police launched an immediate raid. Spotting the police party, the gang abandoned their vehicles and weapons and fled into the jungle. Two accused were overpowered and arrested on the spot.
The accused are Subrat Kumar Patasani of Kumarabasta and Sibaram Maharana of Wilson Nagar, Khordha Shilpanchal Police Station area. Seized from the accused are one black Scorpio car, one EV scooter, one semi-automatic pistol, three live bullets, a sword, an axe and a T-handle knive and mobile phones and cash
Police said the gang first stopped two trucks and one excavator. Brandishing firearms and weapons, they looted Rs 40,000 and even threatened to set the trucks on fire. A short while later, they intercepted an SUV on the same stretch and robbed it at gunpoint.
Thirteen other gang members managed to escape. Police have registered two separate dacoity cases and formed a special team to trace the remaining accused.
The successful operation has been described as a major breakthrough in curbing highway crime in the Jatni-Chandaka belt.
