Crime News: Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Oct 18: Two recent theft incidents have raised concerns about the safety of tourists in Odisha’s popular travel destinations.
On Thursday, a taxi driver was arrested for allegedly stealing jewelry and cash from a couple visiting from Bengaluru while they were en route to Joda in Keonjhar district. The accused, identified as Prakash Chandra Barala from the Kalapathar area in Khurda district, had been hired by Tushar Priyadarshi and his wife to transport them from Bhubaneswar to Joda.
The couple stopped for dinner at a hotel in Panikoili on NH-16, where Tushar asked Prakash to wait for them. They claimed that Prakash returned to the taxi first, and when the couple resumed their journey about ten minutes later, they discovered that their gold chain, three pairs of earrings, a diamond ring, and ₹2,000 in cash were missing from their bag. When they confronted Prakash about the missing items, he feigned ignorance.
In a separate incident, police arrested four individuals for stealing belongings from tourists’ vehicles parked near the Punjisil waterfall. The accused have been identified as Ranjit Takri, Rinku Khosla, a minor, and Sunil Barik, who is known for dealing in stolen goods. The theft was reported by Pranab Anand Jena from Cuttack at the Koraput Sadar police station on October 14.
