Serial snatcher, who offered lift to rob people, arrested

Bhubaneswar: Nayapalli police here on Sunday arrested a habitual snatcher who had been targetting unsuspecting pedestrians by offering them lift on his bike. At least six people, including three women, were duped into accepting his lift and subsequently lost their valuables.The accused has been identified as Sarat Maharana (46), a native of Nayagarh district, currently residing in Madhusudan Nagar, Unit-4, Bhubaneswar.The breakthrough came after a 54-year-old woman lodged a complaint on Feb 6. She reported that while waiting for a bus near Khandagiri bypass, Maharana offered her a ride. After dropping her near Nayapalli underpass, he allegedly snatched her bag containing a gold chain (10 grams), Rs 1,500 in cash, a cellphone, debit cards and many important documents.Acting on the complaint, police examined CCTV footage and arrested Maharana. They also recovered two gold chains, bangles, Rs 74,495 in cash and a motorcycle from him.During investigation, the police found his involvement in multiple similar crimes. “He adopted this deceptive tactic and systematically targetted pedestrians, exploiting their trust,” a senior police officer said.Earlier, on Jan 30, he allegedly snatched a bag containing Rs 60,000; on March 4, he robbed a man of Rs 15,000; on March 10, he stole gold ornaments, a wristwatch and Rs 4,000 from a woman; on March 30, he offered a lift to a woman and her daughter, then fled with their jewellery; on April 2, he robbed another woman of Rs 7,000.