Four held for robbing tourists in Koraput dist

Koraput: Police arrested four persons, including a minor, on Wednesday for stealing tourists’ belongings near the Punjisil waterfall from vehicles parked in the area. The accused have been identified as Ranjit Takri (19), Rinku Khosla (20) and a minor. The fourth person arrested is Sunil Barik, who used to buy the stolen items.
Police launched an operation after Pranab Anand Jena, a tourist from Cuttack, lodged a theft complaint with Koraput Sadar police station on Oct 14 that his car window had been broken and valuables stolen.Cases were being reported since Oct 8.
Acting on the complaint, a police team disguised as tourists was deployed in the area. The thieves attempted to break into a decoy vehicle, leading to their arrests. “The robbers exploited the fact that tourists park their vehicles at a distance due to poor road conditions near the waterfall. They would smash the windows with stones and steal valuables,” said Koraput ASP Srikant Behera.
Police said the stolen items were sold to Barik. Police recovered mobile phones, tablets, ATM cards, and other items. TNN