Bhubaneswar:
Cash, gold ornaments and valuables worth more than Rs 50 lakh were stolen from the residence of former minister and senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik in Bhubaneswar’s Nayapalli area on Sunday morning, police said.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Patnaik said the theft took place on the second floor while he and his wife were asleep on the first. Private security personnel were stationed on the ground floor and there was no one else was in the house at that time, he added.
“The thief entered the second floor, where my elder son and his family reside. However, they were not at home at that time,” Mr Patnaik added.
CCTV camera footage showed that the man entered the house around 2:40 am. He made his way to the second floor, entered a bedroom and stole gold ornaments and cash stored in a locker.
Mr Patnaik said, “It was fortunate that no one was on the second floor at the time. Otherwise, things could have turned worse.” The Congress leader also pointed out that the robbery took place despite heightened security measures in place across the city for the Republic Day celebrations. “Many prominent figures live in the Nayapalli area. If such a robbery can happen here, it raises concerns about the safety of ordinary citizens elsewhere in the state,” he added.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi talked to Mr Patnaik over phone and assured of strong action in the incident.
Based on a written complaint, a case has been registered at Nayapalli police station and police have started investigation. According to the complainant, the thief stole gold ornaments worth Rs 50 lakh and Rs 2.50 lakh cash from the house.
After visiting the spot, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack police commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh said, “We have started an investigation and hope to crack the case soon.” Cuttack DCP Jagmohan Meena and Bhubaneswar DCP Pinak Mishra also visited Patnaik’s home and conducted investigations.
“We have formed a special team to crack the case at the earliest. The thief will be arrested soon,” Mr Mishra said.
Meanwhile, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) criticised the BJP government for failing to protect the lives and property of people of the state.
“Despite having a double-engine government, a theft took place in a senior politician’s house on Republic Day. It raises equations on the safety and security of common men,” BJD leader and MP Sulata Deo said.
Reacting to the allegation, BJP spokesperson Manoj Mohapatra said the incident is a reflection of what the present government has received from the previous BJD government as inheritance. The situation will change after 24 months, he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)