Man held in 141 motorcycles theft case in Odisha

Police on Tuesday arrested a 44-year-old man involved in 141 motorcycles theft cases in Odisha.

Kendrapara, Mar 21: A 44-year-old man allegedly involved in at least 141 cases of motorcycle theft was arrested on Tuesday by the police in Kendrapara. "The accused, Ranjan Kar, used to trick people into believing that he is a priest and then stole their two wheelers and other household valuables," Inspector in-charge of Nikirai police station, Pramod Kumar Lenka said.

"Ranjan was well versed in 'mantras' and 'shlokas' and deceived people through his knowledge in Sanskrit," Lenka said.

The accused was involved in various theft cases and nabbed when he was fleeing with a stolen bike from Nikirai village, the officer said.

"He has confessed to have been involved in as many as 141 cases of bike theft. His first offence dates back to 1992 in Salipur near Cuttack," Lenka said.

"Ranjan had earlier been apprehended four times. He mostly operated in rural pockets of Keonjhar, Jajpur, Cuttack and Kendrapara districts," Lenka said adding "we are trying to nab those who had purchased stolen bikes from him."

PTI