Assets worth ₹847cr stolen last yr: Report

Bhubaneswar: Assets as well as cash worth a staggering Rs 847.5 crore was stolen by thieves in Odisha in 2021, the highest in the country, according to the data, released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Recovery percentage of the booty stood at only 5.1% during the period, the lowest in the country, the report said.
Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh stood second and third with thieves having stolen articles worth Rs 771.8 crore and Rs 353.6 crore, respectively, last year. Odisha saw a huge jump in the value of the stolen assets last year as compared to the previous two years. Items worth Rs 129.7 crore was stolen in 2019 and Rs 137.3 crore in the state in 2020, the report added.
Odisha reported 13,024 theft cases, 5,133 burglary, 2,814 robbery and 355 dacoity cases last year. The items were stolen from different places, including residential premises, commercial establishments, vital government establishments, banks, ATMs, railways and other places. Most of the costly property included cash and jewellery, electronic gadgets, four-wheelers, goods carrying vehicles, mobile phones, laptops and household items.
The state failed miserably when it came to recovering the stolen assets last year. Of the Rs 847.5 crore worth of items stolen, the police managed to recover booty worth only Rs 43.1 crore last year. The recovery percentage has been falling since 2019. Out of the Rs 129.7 crore stolen assets in 2019, the police had recovered items to the tune of Rs 40.5 crore (31.2%). The police had recovered assets worth Rs 40.3 crore out of the stolen items involving Rs 137.3 crore in 2020, putting it at 29.3%.
Police attributed the cause of the low recovery rate to their work overload and shortage of staff. “By the time we complete the investigation in one case, we would be assigned with two new cases to solve. After arresting thieves, we need time to recover the stolen items. Thieves never disclose whereabouts of the booty. Given that we are overburdened, we cannot look for the stolen goods for days or months,” an inspector said.
The commissionerate police last year formed separate teams to detect and prevent robberies, thefts and other offences.