cop was arrested after top officials found his link with the racket

Being the sub-inspector of the police station, he took active part during raids conducted by the Bargarh town police to crack down the inter-state four-wheelers lifting racket. He was thinking to get scot free because of his police uniform. But ultimately police arrested him and his constable brother police smelt his connection with the racket. Bargarh police arrested 9 persons including the two police personnel and recovered 20 vehicles including a passenger bus. While the police sub-inspector Pranab Pradhan is in Bargarh town police station his brother Birendra Bhusan Pradhan has been working as constable in the special branch of Bhawanipatna.

Confirming this SP (Bargarh) S. Thankappan informed media persons on Tuesday night that police action will be continued till the recovery all stolen vehicles. We did not spare any one. We arrested 9 accused including two police and recovered 20 vehicles. Verification is on to know involvement of others in the racket. We will book any one who is found to be involved in the racket”, SP said.

Police sources said, Gujarat police came with evidence in a driver murder case occurred in Nausari’s Chikhli police station area of Gujarat on June 8th where they suspected involvement of accused person residing in Sambalpur town. Sambalpur police arrested one Prema alias Rima Singh of Sakhipara who divulged many information of the racket during her interrogation. Basing on the clue and information shared by the female accused, police, while preceded into action to recover the vehicle, police gathered information about the racket that was active since a long time in the Bargarh town. Police also learnt how the racket stole the vehicle by killing the driver on the way to their proposed destination.

Police sources added that racket was mainly bringing vehicles from Rajasthan and Gujarat. The members along with a lady would book a vehicle in any travel agency identifying them as tourist couple and on the way to the destination they hacked the driver and absconded with the vehicles after throwing the dead body. They changed the colour of the vehicles, change the engine number and chassis number and managed to get a new registration numbers from the RTO office of Sundergarh and Nuapara.

“We arrested the prime accused of the racket and his associate identified as Sailendra Sharma and Tanuj Birmwal of Bargarh. While Sailendra was bringing the vehicles from out side, it was Tanuj who sells the vehicle to influential persons in a comparative cheaper price”, DSP (Bargarh) Nagendra Nayak said. According to him, Ashish Guru of Nuapara RTO office and Himansu Panda of Sundergarh RTO office were helping the two in preparing duplicate registration certificate of the vehicles. The other accused persons have been identified as Srikant Sahu of Attabira, Tejraj Pradhan of Janhapara and Panchanan Mishra of Bargarh.