crime news: Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Jan 8: In a significant breakthrough in the Sambalpur gold jewellery heist, police have arrested a key suspect identified as Ajay Paswan from Ranchi. The Hatia unit of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) apprehended Paswan before handing him over to the Sambalpur police for further investigation.
The brazen robbery took place on January 3 at the Manappuram Finance Limited Company in the Budharaja area under the Ainthapali police jurisdiction. A group of six to seven robbers, clad in helmets and armed with firearms, threatened the employees and managed to steal an impressive 30 kilograms of gold jewellery, along with Rs 4.81 lakh in cash.
Sudhir Rath, the assistant branch head, recounted the terrifying experience, stating, “When we tried to stop them, they pulled out their guns and threatened us. They even manhandled us to ensure our silence.” After forcing Rath to open the lockers, the robbers fled the scene on three motorcycles, heading towards the highway.
In the wake of the incident, police launched an extensive manhunt and released photographs of two suspects, offering a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to their capture.
