Drug-And-Loot Gang Busted In Bhubaneswar: Woman Mastermind, 3 Others Held

Bhubaneswar: The Kharvel Nagar Police on Saturday busted a notorious gang involved in looting people after offering them spiked drinks and food at bus terminals and railway stations in Bhubaneswar.

The mastermind of the gang, identified as Sharifa Khatun alias Muskan of the Laxmisagar area in Bhubaneswar, and three of her accomplices were arrested and intoxicants seized from their possession, the Commissionerate Police said.

Acting on reliable inputs, a special team of Kharvel Nagar Police Station raided an abandoned place near Reliance Mart in the Master canteen and apprehended four persons while another one escaped from the scene.

Two motorcycles, four strips of intoxicant tablets, one knife, and four packets of cake were seized from their possession and the accused have confessed to their crime, the police said.

Modus Operandi: The gang used to target people by offering them, bread/cakes, tea or other drug-laced drinks. After the victims fell unconscious, the gang operatives robbed them of their cash and valuables.

According to police, Muskan had formed the gang and Landa alias Ashok Behera (33), a resident of Ganjam, and Purna Chandra Sethi of Itamati & Suanta Rout of Odagaon in Nayagarh were operatives.

All the arrested persons of the gang were also found to be habitual offenders and many criminal cases were registered against them at different police stations.

Accused Landa was found to be involved in 12 criminal cases, 12 cases were found against accused Purna and 10 against accused Susanta while there are 8 criminal cases pending against accused Muskan, the lady mastermind of the notorious gang.

Efforts are underway to trace the involvement of other members/operatives of the notorious loot gang while further investigation into the case is underway, the police added.