Sambalpur Police Bust Inter-State Women’s Gold Snatching Gang, Six Arrested
Sambalpur Police have successfully dismantled a women-led inter-state gold snatching gang, arresting six accused in a major breakthrough.
The gang, operating across Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu, targeted crowded religious festivals and temple gatherings to carry out thefts.
The arrested woman—J. Bhanumati, Deepa Das, Kalyani Das, Priya Das, S. Thara, and Pooja Singh were found in possession of five gold plates weighing 51.75 grams, Rs 62,400 cash, mobile phones, fake voter IDs, imitation stones, and ornaments.
According to Sambalpur SP Mukesh Kumar Bhamu, the gang posed as sellers of stones and ornaments, exploiting large gatherings during Dol Purnima, Rath Yatra, Magha Panchami, and Dhanuyatra.
CCTV footage from Samaleswari temple helped police identify the culprits after five gold chains were snatched on January 22.
Investigations revealed their presence in 30 hotels across multiple states, confirming the scale of their operations.
Districts in Odisha, such as Bargarh, Subarnapur, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Puri, Cuttack, Khordha, Bhubaneswar, Bhadrak, and Berhampur were among their targets.
This arrest marks a significant success in curbing inter-state chain snatching and highlights the importance of coordinated policing and surveillance technology.
