Bhubaneswar: Ample security arrangements by the commissionerate police and puja committees to check petty crimes during Dasahara notwithstanding, more than 200 cases of chain snatching, pick pocketing and loot were reported at various police stations of Bhubaneswar during Navami and Dashami.
According to a source, more than 50 people registered complaints with the Mancheswar police. Some have alleged that their motorcycles were stolen while some others complained of their gold chains and mobile phones being stolen by miscreants. Mancheswar police, so far, have registered eight bike-lifting cases, five chain snatching and six mobile phone theft cases.
Initiating investigation, the police have detained two women and a man, suspecting their complicity in these crimes.
Similarly, Nayapalli police received 30 such complaints but have registered only eight cases. More than 30 cases of wallet, mobile phone and chain snatching took place under Laxmisagar police limits and the police have detained three suspects for interrogation in connection with these crimes.
More than 20 petty crimes were reported in Khandagiri and Chandrasekharpur police limits combined and well over 50 similar cases were reported under Capital, Kharabela Nagar and Sahid Nagar police limits. Several such complaints are learnt to have been registered with the rest of the police stations as well.
Launching investigation into the cases, commissionerate police have started inspecting the footages captured by surveillance cameras installed at puja pandals under their respective areas.
Preliminary investigation by the police suggests that many non-Odias have been involved in committing these crimes. They have gone back to where they came from, a source in the police said. “The statements of some of the detained are providing us some leads which would help us trace others,” an official said wishing not to be named.
PNN