Bhubaneswar, February 18: The Simulia police in Balasore district have successfully apprehended four notorious habitual offenders involved in a series of temple burglaries. The accused—Narendra Shial, Sanatan Mahalik, Ashok Kumar Satpathy, and Nrusingha Charan—are linked to at least ten separate temple break-ins across the Simulia, Soro, Gopalpur, and Khantapada police jurisdictions, as informed by Dr. Satyajit Naik, the DIG of Eastern Range, Balasore, in a press briefing on Tuesday.
The police seized stolen items, including 122 grams of silver ornaments, 1 kg 980 grams of other valuables, and cash amounting to Rs. 4,670.
The investigation began with a formal complaint filed by Ramakanta Mishra, a resident of Radhakrushnapur village, at the Simulia police station on February 12, 2025. Mishra reported that unknown individuals had broken into the MAA Paschima Temple, making off with valuable artifacts such as a silver crown (Rupa Mukuta), silver earrings (Rupa Akhi), and other precious items.
Through diligent investigation, Simulia police tracked down the suspects, solved ten burglary cases, and successfully recovered the stolen goods based on the confessions of the arrested individuals. The suspects were presented before the Hon'ble Court and are now under judicial remand.
