Robber loots ₹50 Lakh in cash, gold from Congress leader Patnaik’s home | Latest News India

Bhubaneswar: A miscreant allegedly looted cash and gold ornaments worth ₹50 lakh from the residence of senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik late Saturday night, according to police.

The CCTV cameras installed in the house captured the robber, who had masked his face, entering the house around 2.40 am when the family members were asleep. He was inside the house for about an hour, said a police officer.

Patnaik, also the former president of the Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC), said the robber entered the second floor of the building through a window, where his elder son, Devjyoti, and his family reside. Devjyoti and his wife were away when the robbery took place, he said.

“I and my wife were asleep on the first floor when the incident happened. The miscreant entered the second floor by breaking open a window and robbed gold items from my son’s cupboard. The robber also took several thousand rupees in cash. My son and daughter-in-law were away at Satapada when the robbery took place. His two sons returned home around 2.40 am after dinne, and the younger one sensed the presence of someone in his parents’ bedroom. The security locked the room from inside after being alerted, but the thief fled through the window,” said Patnaik.

Patnaik added that the robber likely kept the house under surveillance before committing the robbery.

Deputy commissioner of police of Bhubaneswar, Pinak Mishra, said police is investigating and the robber will be arrested soon. “We have collected fingerprints from the spot. It seems to be the handiwork of one man. We have engaged a special police team to crack the case,” said Mishra.

“Bhubaneswar city is full of professional thieves and dacoits. Police patrolling is carried out regularly around my house, yet the robbery happened. It seems the lives of common citizens are not safe in Bhubaneswar,” said Patnaik.