Police on Saturday busted a major theft racket operating across Odisha’s Bargarh and Sambalpur districts and arrested four individuals involved in a series of house break-ins and school thefts.
The arrested accused are:
Rinku Bhoi (25)
Sushant Tandi (37)
Ganga Hanuman (25)
Jagannath Dash (37)
All are residents of various localities within Bargarh district.
Police recovered a significant cache of stolen items, including:
3 LED TVs
2 speakers
13 sarees
A laptop and mobile phone
Silver articles (including Lakshmi and Ganesh idols weighing 925g)
Gold ornaments (3.550g)
A two-wheeler and a car used in the thefts
According to Bargarh SP Prahalad Sahai Meena, the investigation began after K. Savitri (50) of New Khairpali, Attabira, reported a burglary in which 2 kg of silver, 6g of gold jewellery, and Rs30,000 cash were stolen on the night of April 8–9.
Police registered a case under Sections 331(4) and 305(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched an investigation using local intelligence and technical tracking. The team successfully apprehended the accused and recovered much of the stolen property.
During interrogation, the suspects admitted to multiple thefts in:
Bargarh District: Bijepur Rural & Town police limits
Sambalpur District: Jujumura, Naktideul, and Rairakhol police limits
Notably, Ganga Hanuman and Rinku Bhoi also confessed to stealing Samsung LED TVs from several schools in Sambalpur between September 2024 and February 2025, in collaboration with an accomplice named Mahesh Sharma (currently absconding).
SP Meena added that both Rinku and Ganga are history-sheeters, with 8 cases against Rinku in Bargarh and 17 against Ganga across both districts. Further investigation is ongoing.
