In a major breakthrough, Ainthapali police seized 28 stolen two-wheelers from the Jaranga forest under the Jujumura police limits on Sunday. The police also arrested two individuals involved in the thefts. The suspects were identified as Ramkumar Panda (32), a resident of Bagabara village in Sonepur district, and Sardul Gaigoria (39), a resident of Digi village in Boudh district. Ramkumar works as a conductor.
The case began when Dheeraj Kumar Pujari of Jagannath Colony filed a complaint regarding the theft of his scooter (OD-15-KQ-4169) near the colony park on November 9. Following the complaint, a case was registered, and an investigation was launched under Section 379(2) of the Indian Penal Code.
Acting on a tip-off, the police traced the suspects near the Ainthapali bus stand where they were seen with the stolen scooter. Sub-inspector Niladri Biswal, the investigating officer, and his team apprehended the accused and recovered the scooter. During interrogation, the suspects admitted to stealing the vehicle, and it was discovered that they had met previously while incarcerated in Birmaharajpur Jail.
Preliminary investigations revealed that both suspects were professional bike lifters operating a syndicate. Based on their confessions, the police recovered a total of 28 stolen bikes hidden in Jaranga forest. The accused were allegedly stealing bikes and hiding them in the forest before selling them at very low prices.
