Prithwiraj alias Chinu Das (28), believed to be the mastermind behind most of the chain-snatching incidents across Mayurbhanj district, was arrested here on Tuesday evening by the Baripada town police and forwarded to court on Wednesday. Das is a resident of Sripadganj, Ward-13, of Baripada town.
The latest incident in which he was allegedly involved had taken place on Sunday night when he along with one Soumya Ranjan alias Bapun Bej (19) reportedly made an unsuccessful bid to snatch away the necklace from one Srimati Dulali Singh (23), wife of Kamal Singh of Baruni Road, Madhuban, Ward-9 of the town while the couple was returning home on foot after attending a wedding feast nearby.
That night, while Bej was captured and handed over to police, Das had fled the scene. Bej is the son of late Sibaprasad Bej of Debendrapur, Ward-28.
According to Mayurbhanj Additional SP Dinajana Nayak, Prithwiraj has a long crime history being involved in several cases of loot, chain-snatching and highway robbery since 2013. Now that the dreaded criminal has been nabbed, the entire racket of chain-snatchers operating in different parts of Mayurbhanj would be busted very soon, he claimed.