A husband and wife stole multiple bikes, targeting roadsides, banks, and shop lanes. The wife unlocked the bike wheels with a master key. Then, either she or her husband rode the bikes away. They later sold these stolen bikes cheaply in Kandhamal district.
Niagara District Police arrested four individuals, including the couple, after busting a bike theft gang. The arrested are Tapan Khamari, Dilip Pradhan, Ajay Nayak, and his wife Priyanka Nayak.
During a press conference, Niagara SP reported a rise in bike thefts in the Daspalla area. To catch the thieves, police formed two teams. These teams investigated several locations and discovered stolen bikes being sold at a garage on Kuanria Street, Daspalla. Police raided the garage, arrested the owner Tapan Khamari and his associate Dilip Pradhan, and seized three stolen bikes before taking them to court.
Further investigation led the police to Ajay Nayak and his wife Priyanka. Police raided their house, seized 22 stolen bikes, and arrested the couple.
CCTV footage showed Priyanka unlocking the bikes with her master key, and either she or her husband rode them away.
Since Priyanka is from Baliguda in Kandhamal, they sold the stolen bikes there at low prices. Niagara SP confirmed that some of the stolen bikes were used for smuggling marijuana.
In the past month, police seized 50 stolen bikes in Niagara district, including over 30 from Daspalla. The SP promised that the mastermind behind these thefts would be arrested soon.