Puri Police Bust Highway Robbery Gang, Recover Loot Worth Rs 78.96 Lakh
The Puri Police have successfully cracked a daring highway robbery case on NH‑316 near Samjajpur Railway Over‑Bridge, recovering stolen property worth Rs 78.96 lakh.
On November 20, 2025, armed assailants intercepted a vehicle transporting cash, gold, and silver from Radha Krushna Jewellery.
Following the incident, the Superintendent of Police launched Operation White Metal, forming two Special Investigation Wings to track down the culprits.
Raids at multiple hideouts between December 1 and 2 led to the arrest of four accused. Investigators revealed that jewellery shop owner Tukula @ Tuku Nayak conspired with Bapi @ Prasant Pradhan, recruiting three hardened criminals, including M. Goutham from Andhra Pradesh and Subhrajit Mohanty, an MBA student from Bhubaneswar.
The gang used a Skoda car (AP‑05CY‑8656) and a motorcycle to execute the robbery and escape.
Police recovered 132 g of gold ornaments, 31 kg of silver ornaments, Rs 6 lakh in cash, six mobile phones, a pistol with two live rounds, and the vehicles used in the crime.
During interrogation, the accused confessed, confirming the conspiracy and execution of the robbery.
The swift police action has been hailed as a major success in curbing organised crime in Odisha.
