Khordha police have apprehended Niranjan Swain, a notorious property offender, along with his associate Munmuna Pradhan, in connection with a house burglary reported in the Dhauli area.
The theft took place on the night of January 7–8, 2026, at the residence of Sandhyarani Pattanaik (45) in Apsana Garden, Dhauli. The intruders broke into the house by removing the iron grill of a bedroom window and stole Rs20,000 in cash, a 20-gram gold chain, a 15-gram gold ring, a silver chain and coins weighing approximately 50 grams, and several ATM cards.
Police, acting on CCTV footage, identified the suspect as Niranjan Swain, a habitual house burglar from Astaranga, Puri district. The footage revealed a man wearing a deep green jacket, shirt, and half-pant, carrying burglary tools.
During the operation, authorities recovered the auto-rickshaw (Regd. No. OD 02 DB2749) used in the crime, a crowbar, the stolen silver chain and coins, and four mobile phones.
Niranjan Swain has an extensive criminal history with over 60 registered cases for house breaking and theft across multiple police stations in Odisha, including Chandrasekharpur, Khandagiri, Laxmisagar, Tamando, and Saheed Nagar. Police confirmed the burglary was committed for wrongful financial gain and are investigating connections to other recent thefts.
