crime news: Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Dec 27: Khallikote Police have arrested a couple in Odisha’s Ganjam district for allegedly looting donation boxes from several temples. They were apprehended during a routine blockade at the Keshpur toll plaza on National Highway 16 on Thursday. Police recovered cash amounting to ₹30,000, gold ornaments, two silver chains, and a stolen temple donation box from their possession. The scooty they were riding was also seized.
Chhatrapur Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Gourahari Sahu stated that the couple, hailing from Rambha, had been posing as devotees to visit various temples throughout the Ganjam district, where they stealthily stole from donation boxes.
The SDPO noted that they had received multiple complaints of thefts from temple managements in Keshpur, Rambha, and Khallikote. CCTV footage captured the couple suspiciously leaving the temples on a scooty, prompting police to monitor their activities closely.
During interrogation, the couple confessed to looting numerous donation boxes across the district. Further investigation is ongoing to identify any accomplices and trace the jewellers who purchased the stolen ornaments.
