Bolangir: In the biggest ever seizure of stolen vehicles in Odisha, Bolangir police Tuesday seized 23 four-wheelers (Boleros) worth Rs 2 crore and arrested 12 persons. This information was given by Bolangir SP Shri Kusalkar Nitin Dagdu at a press conference here Tuesday.
‘Toofan’, a special squad of Bolangir police, conducted raids and made the seizures, the SP stated. Other the Boleros, police also seized pick-up vans, Tata Magic vehicles and spare parts worth over Rs 15 lakh.
A total of 12 members of the vehicle-lifting gang have been arrested while five of them managed to give the cops the slip.
The accused have been identified as Antaryami Dalei, Satyanarayan Dalei and Sumant Pradhan, 27, of Kulathipali village under Puintala police limits; Shahid Hussain, 26, of Bhatali square in Bargarh district; Malaya Mahanand, 32, of Kesinga in Kalahandi district; Dilip Kumar Senapati of Gunupur in Rayagada district; Narayan Rao, 38, and A Chinna Rao, 31, of Kuturuparaparam of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh; Panchanan Khamari, 42, of Budabahal village under Deogaon police limits; Surendra Khandagiri, 32, of Chatapipal village, Radhamadhab Bania, 30, of Burda village under Loisingha police limits and Sidhant Kumar Sahu, 25, of Utkela village under Kesinga police limits in Kalahandi district.
The accused have at least 52 cases against them in Bolangir, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Bargarh and Kalahandi districts.
Led by Sadar SDPO Tofan Bag, the special squad ‘Toofan’ was formed after repeated complaints of vehicle-lifting came to the fore in the district. On the orders of the SP, the squad conducted raids in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal and seized the vehicles. “This is the biggest seizure made ever in Odisha,” the SP said.
Meanwhile, the special squad of Bolangir police has received applause from all the quarters for their tremendous efforts. All the 12 arrested have been forwarded to court while the squad is conducting raids to arrest the five absconders.