Gang of thieves from Odisha who looted Defence Colony home busted

According to police, the investigation revealed that the accused, Nirmal Malik, had started working as a domestic help at the residence just 12 days before the incident. After carefully observing the household and learning that the homeowner and her family were travelling to Goa from December 23-28, police said he orchestrated a plan to rob the house. On the day of the crime, Nirmal called his associate, Dharmendra Dass, to assist in the burglary. Together, they broke into the house, looted the valuables, and fled, said police.

Police said Nirmal had vanished after the crime and his phone was switched off. Tracing his movements through call detail records led investigators to Chirag Dilli, where they learned that the accused had connections in Odisha.

“During enquiry, it was found that both the accused lived in Chirag Dilli village and the house was rented to Dass. Through technical analysis, on March 12, Dass… was arrested at Ishwarpur outpost area in Balasore district in Odisha with the help of local police staff of PS Nilagiri,” said DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan.

Further raids were conducted at the residences of the suspects in Nilagiri, Balasore, leading to the recovery of a significant portion of the stolen goods.

Police said Nirmal was arrested in Bengaluru, where he was working as a cook in a residential society. Based on intelligence inputs, the police team travelled to the city, laid a trap, and nabbed him.

During questioning, he admitted to planning the burglary.

Those bound down during the investigation include Nirmal’s 35-year-old wife, a goldsmith who received the stolen jewellery; and a 34-year-old man who assisted in selling the stolen property.