3 accused of robbing govt officer arrested

Bhubaneswar: Commissionerate police in Cuttack's Choudwar on Sunday arrested three members of a gang who robbed a govt officer after offering him a lift last month.
The police identified the accused as Trilochan Samantaray (29), Siba Prasad Das (36), and Kanha alias Aditya Kumar Behera (24). While Samantaray and Behera hailed from Kendrapada's Rajnagar area, Das is from Sundargarh district. According to police, the gang's modus operandi involved pretending to be travellers and targeting unsuspecting victims.
The victim, Manas Ranjan Dhala (46), an officer at the district education office in Kendrapada, was waiting at Duria chowk for a bus to Cuttack on the evening on Jan 29. The accused approached him in their vehicle, claiming to be travellers heading to Cuttack. They convinced him to accept their lift by stating that no buses were available that evening.
Upon entering their vehicle, Dhala was taken to a secluded spot where the criminals threatened him using a toy gun. They took his mobile phone, wallet containing Rs 22,000, and other valuables before leaving him by the roadside in Cuttack.
Dhala filed a complaint with Choudwar police station the following morning. The police successfully traced the suspects using CCTV footage and the victim's description.
DCP (Cuttack), Jagmohan Meena, said, "We seized their car, a toy gun and five phones including the one stolen from Dhala."
The criminals confessed during questioning that they had previously committed similar offences. Their typical targets were individuals waiting at bus stands and busy intersections during early morning or late evening.
Police investigation revealed that Samantaray and Das were repeat offenders with previous arrests for theft and robbery cases in Bhubaneswar, Kendrapada, Bhadrak and Sundargarh.
"We advise citizens to be cautious while accepting lifts from strangers and to use authorised modes of transport. People should also note down vehicle numbers and inform their family members before accepting rides from unknown persons," DCP Meena said.