Crime News / Gunmen Posing as Aquarium Fish Buyers Loot Family in Bhadrak

Bhadrak/Bhubaneswar, Aug 4: An armed gang allegedly posing as customers seeking aquarium fish looted cash and gold ornaments worth several lakhs from a house in Bhadrak district before fleeing, a source said Tuesday.

Gang Entered House On Pretext Of Buying Aquarium Fish
According to the source, the robbery took place at Joragadia village under Jagdalpur panchayat in Bhadrak Rural police station limits.

According to the family, two men arrived at the residence of Niranjan Satpathy at around 9pm on Monday, claiming they needed aquarium fish for the opening of a hotel.

Niranjan said, "Two men came to our house and asked me if I have goldfish. I said I am not sure if I have any. Please come to my farm tomorrow morning. But they kept on insisting on seeing the goldfish. Amid the conversation, one of them pointed a gun at my head."

Family Held Hostage, Cash And Gold Looted
Niranjan said three more accomplices then entered the house.

"The armed men confined all of us to a room at gunpoint before looting cash and gold ornaments worth several lakhs," Niranjan added.

The gang's escape was disrupted after a villager reportedly raised an alarm by confronting one of the suspects, who was standing near the gate with a sharp weapon.

Villagers Nab One Suspect
As villagers gathered, the accused fled through nearby fields, abandoning a Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle and a TVS Apache motorcycle.

Villagers chased the suspects and managed to overpower one of them before handing him over to police.

Bhadrak Rural Police reached the spot, seized both motorcycles and launched an investigation to identify and trace the remaining members of the gang. The incident has triggered panic among residents of the village.

Three Arrested For Targeting Bank Customers In Bhubaneswar
In a separate incident, Bharatpur Police arrested three alleged robbers accused of targeting people returning from banks.


Man Robbed After Visiting Bank
The complainant, Manoj Gouda, a resident of Phuleswari Basti under Bharatpur police station limits, alleged that he was surrounded by three men after visiting a nearby bank on Monday afternoon.

The accused allegedly snatched Rs 5,000 from him before fleeing.

Also Read: Gajapati Police Crack ₹5 Lakh Loot in Two Hours

CCTV Footage Helped Crack Case
Following Manoj's complaint, police examined CCTV footage and identified the accused as Om Prasad Behera, Gobinda Chandra Rout and Ashish Sahoo.

Police said the trio had allegedly been targeting individuals found alone, particularly those returning from banks.