Five Arrested in Jeypore Theft Cases

Koraput: Jeypore Town Police have arrested five local youths for their alleged involvement in a string of thefts reported across the town over the past five months, officials said. The accused are suspected of stealing five motorcycles from different locations and two cooking gas cylinders from the Vivekananda Hostel at Vikram Dev University.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Bishal Nag (20) of Odia Medri Sahi, Rinku Bag (20), Sunil Paraja alias Lalu (19), Biju Rajnagar Aditya Khosla (23) of Christian Sahi, and Rakesh Harijan (23), also from Christian Sahi. Police said five stolen motorcycles and two gas cylinders were recovered from their possession.

The latest case surfaced on Thursday morning after Vivekananda Hostel superintendent Laxman Patra filed a complaint at Jeypore Town Police Station regarding the theft of two cooking gas cylinders from the hostel kitchen located along the main road of Vikram Dev University. During the investigation, police examined CCTV footage and other technical evidence, which led to the arrest of Sunil Paraja from Odia Medri Sahi and recovery of the stolen cylinders.

Further probe revealed the group’s alleged involvement in multiple earlier theft cases. On November 4, 2025, Sumit Behera of Kantara Sahi reported the theft of his motorcycle parked near Dolphin Hotel in Khalsa Sahi, leading to the arrest of Rinku Bag. On January 29, 2026, Pintu Jani of Russia Colony near Glocal Hospital reported his bike stolen; Bishal Nag was later arrested in connection with the case and produced before a court.

In another incident dated January 23, Kamala Barik of Sleepwell Colony near Bariniput lodged a complaint about her stolen motorcycle. Police arrested Aditya Khosla of Christian Sahi in connection with the case and forwarded him to judicial custody. Earlier, on September 9, 2025, P. Srinivas Reddy of Kumhar Sahi in Laxminagar Colony had reported a similar theft, which led to the arrest and court remand of Rakesh Harijan.

Town Police Station Officer Ullas Raut said sustained investigation, technical surveillance, and analysis of CCTV footage helped police identify the accused and recover the stolen property. Police are continuing the investigation to determine whether the group was involved in other theft incidents in and around Jeypore.