5 held, police bust truck smugglers' gang

With the arrest of five persons, police today claimed to have busted a gang of truck smugglers in Odisha's Jajpur district. The gang had been selling stolen trucks to scrap dealers in neighbouring West Benal and Jharkhand, police said. Those arrested have been identified as Badal Dehury of Subhadrapur, Shaik Alauddin, Shaik Zuman and Sudarshan Samal alia Titua, all belonging to Sasan Purusottampur and Sitesh Das alias Pikan of Dhanmandal under Barachana police limits in Jajpur district.

The gang members were targeting trucks at desolate places along National and State highways. After breaking the locks, the gang drove away with the vehicles to West Benal and Jharkhand and sold them to the scrap dealers there.

The gang was busted after Barachana police, forming a special squad began probing a theft of a truck at Paikarapur on Paradeep-Daitary express highway a week ago. The truck, owned by Yasobanta Swain of Solar was left parked at its driver house at Paikarapur. The squad managed to bust the gang yesterday after a week long chase.

We have arrested five members of the inter district gang and are on the look out for others. The accused during interrogation have confessed that they have stolen at least

six trucks from various locations on NH and state highway in Barachana and Balichandrapur area alone,¿ said Ranjit Kumar Sahu, IIC of Barachana police station.

ALSO READ

Rail traffic hit due to protests over Sajjan's acquittal

Attack in Jammu jail: Pak prisoner's condition remains critical

Yasin Malik flown back to Srinagar after Delhi Police denies permission to protest

2 killed, 10 injured after Assam police firing