Though the police personnel are deployed for night patrolling, but it seems they have failed to curb theft in the district. In the last 48 hours, as many as nine thefts occurred in the district.
Miscreants on September 6 night committed a theft at the Kakat Chowk-based Sunita Jewellery, a shop located near Andhra Bank. The miscreants allegedly dug a hole in the wall of the shop and entered through the hole. They looted gold and silver items worth lakhs of rupees.
The police personnel were deployed just at a handshaking distance from the jewellery shop and also heard the digging sound, but they did not prevent the robbers lest they should face the wrath of the miscreants. The personnel deployed in Balababa Chowk and at Kakat Mangala Chowk though saw the miscreants fleeing from the spot with the booty, they did not chase them.
On Monday, the proprietor of the jewellery shop Bhagirathi Sahu lodged an FIR at Kendrapada town police station. The town police registered a case and have started an inquiry. The police have taken the aid of scientific team and sniffer dog squad to help them in the investigation. The police detained three persons suspecting their involvement in the loot and were interrogating them.
Similarly, on Saturday night last, miscreants burgled two temples and six shops under Aul police station. If sources are to be believed, the miscreants decamped with gold and silver ornaments and also money by destroying the donation box of Sanischar temple at Sanamanga village. They broke open the grill of the temple and later took away the metal bell of a Mahadev temple at Sanamanga village. The police have yet to nab the burglars.
When contacted, Aul police station IIC Nilakantha Prasad Patra informed that no FIR had been lodged in this regard.
Meanwhile, the denizens of the district demanded before SP Nitinjit Singh to take steps to curb the rising incidents of theft in the district.