In a major breakthrough, Commissionerate Police have busted an interstate burglary gang responsible for a series of high-value house thefts across Odisha, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar.
The two prime accused, Khurshid Khan (48) of Faridabad, Haryana and Mohammad Arif (28) of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, were apprehended in Delhi and brought to Bhubaneswar for further investigation.
Police said the gang’s modus operandi involved daytime thefts in multi-storied residential buildings, targeting gold and jewellery, followed by rapid escapes using rail or air travel.
The gang’s first reported Odisha heist occurred on July 21 at the government quarters in Sahidnagar Unit-9, where 230 grams of gold ornaments were stolen while the residence was temporarily vacant. Local CCTV footage helped police trace the culprits and coordinate with Delhi Police, leading to the arrests.
According to Commissioner S. Devdutta Singh, the gang operated like “spiders,” strategically scouting homes, staying near railway stations or hotels, and melting stolen gold to obscure its origin. Police recovered Rs 18 lakh linked to the sale of looted gold from the accused.
Investigations under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Sections 331(3) and 305(A)) are ongoing. Authorities believe the duo operated independently without recruiting additional gang members, maintaining a two-person structure to evade detection.
The Commissionerate Police plan to seek remand for deeper interrogation, which may lead to actions in other states if further multi-state theft connections are confirmed.
