Malkangiri, Jun 29: The Odisha Police arrested a couple from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu for allegedly drugging a gold trader’s family in Malkangiri and decamping with ornaments and cash over five years ago, informed Malkangiri SP H Vinod Patil on Monday.

The accused, identified as Madasu John Paul and Inturi Aruna, natives of Kuppuravaru village in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district, were apprehended after an extensive inter-state investigation.

Malkangiri Police achieves a major breakthrough in Case FIR No. 67/2021.The two absconding accused,Madasu John Paul & Inturi Aruna, have been apprehended in Kanyakumari,Tamil Nadu.​Seizures include 200g gold, 2 pistols,9 live rounds,laptop,and a bike.Further recovery is underway. pic.twitter.com/GcgpXGXU6A

— SP Malkangiri (@spmalkangiri) June 29, 2026

Police recovered around 200 grams of gold ornaments, two country-made pistols, nine live cartridges, a laptop, and a motorcycle from their possession.

According to the Malkangiri SP, the accused duo had meticulously planned the crime after gaining the confidence of the victim’s family by posing as a married couple in search of rented accommodation.

The incident dates back to March 2, 2021, when the accused couple rented a portion of the house belonging to gold trader Subash Patil in Malkangiri town. Claiming they had eloped from Andhra Pradesh, they convinced the family to provide them with accommodation. After staying for nearly three months and studying the family’s routine, they allegedly drugged the household with “intoxicating sweets” before decamping with 700 grams of gold ornaments and Rs2 lakh in cash.
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The SP said the accused remained absconding for more than five years, constantly changing locations and deliberately avoiding mobile phones, which made it extremely difficult for investigators to trace them. Their arrest in Kanyakumari marks the culmination of a prolonged investigation involving coordination across states.

The recovery of arms and ammunition alongside stolen ornaments has added a serious dimension to the case, with police now probing whether the couple had links to other criminal activities during their absconding period.