The Bhubaneswar police have arrested four members of the notorious Trichy gang for their involvement in a series of car thefts in the capital city and neighbouring Cuttack.
The gang has reportedly stolen valuables worth lakhs by smashing car windows, targeting at least nine vehicles in Bhubaneswar and one in Cuttack this month alone. One such incident occurred recently on Monday when the gang broke the window of a car belonging to an OAS officer near Gopabandhu Square, stealing a laptop and a mobile phone.
Following the thefts, the police launched a manhunt and arrested B Mohit (48), P Morthy (42), Nanda Kumar (47), and S Dinesh (47), all residents of Tiruchirappalli district in Tamil Nadu. Authorities recovered four laptops and 25 mobile phones from the arrested individuals.
According to Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda, the gang has been involved in thefts across various parts of India, particularly operating in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Puri. They primarily targeted vehicles parked in unsecured locations, breaking car windows with catapults, iron balls, and mud pellets hidden in chocolate wrappers.
Additionally, the gang members have been linked to pickpocketing incidents on Mo Bus services in Bhubaneswar. After committing thefts, they disposed of the stolen goods in Tamil Nadu. The accused traveled in trains, stayed at railway stations, and carried out thefts across multiple cities.
Cases have been filed against the gang members in various police stations, including Saheed Nagar, Mancheswar, Capital, Khandagiri, Maitri Vihar, Nayapalli, and Badambadi.
