The Balasore Town Police successfully thwarted a planned armed dacoity near Balighat in a late-night raid.
Six armed criminals, including three juveniles, were apprehended by a police team led by SI Pravakar Sahoo. The raid, based on credible intelligence, resulted in the seizure of deadly weapons, country-made bombs, and six stolen motorcycles.
The accused, identified as Babu Chhua (Suresh Kumar Jena), Bhabendra Das (Paglu), Deepak Das, and three juveniles—Kanha (Prasanjit Behera), Sk Habib, and Dhiraj Kumar Behera (Dada)—confessed to planning a dacoity in Barabati using the stolen motorcycles. Further investigation by IO SI S Mishra led to the recovery of eleven more stolen motorcycles.
In a landmark judgment, Judge Biswajit Das of the Balasore OPID Court sentenced three members of the dacoity gang to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹17,000 each. The juveniles are currently facing trial before the PM JJB in Balasore. This marks the first conviction under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in Balasore District. Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Kumar Panda represented the government in this case.
