Kalahandi cops nab kingpin of auto-lifters’ gang

The Pioneer, July 6, 2010
Bikash Khemka | Bhawanipatna

The kingpin of a gang of auto-lifters of Kantabanji in Balangir district, who killed three drivers in a span of three months between April and June 2010 and looted their vehicles, has landed in the dragnet of the town police.

The modus operandi of the auto-lifters was that they allegedly hired four-wheelers from Angul, Sambalpur and Bhawanipatna town, kill the driver and run away with vehicles, for which cases of loots have been lodged at the police station.

The Bhawanipatna police has got a major breakthrough in nabbing one of the main accused, Debraj Punji with the help of Kantabanji police. The police have also reportedly seized a Bolero on Sunday which was hired from Bhawanipatna in June and looted midway, a mobile phone and bones of the dead driver.

Report said that on June 6 a Bolero driver, Tankadhar Naik came here from Kesinga. When the driver did not return, the owner, Harishankar Gurum lodged a complaint at Kesinga police station on June 8.

Later the vehicle owner came to know that two people had hired the Bolero to Sindhikela from Ghodaghat Chowk of Bhawanipatna. Again the owner, Harishankar lodged a complaint at Bhawanipatna Police Station. The missing driver’s mobile phone was tracked down by the police. Kantabanji’s Debraj Punji was frequently using the number.

DSP Crime Kalucharan Pati, Inspector-in-Charge Haresh Chandra Pandey and Sub-Inspector Minu Mohanty rushed to Kantabanji and arrested the main accused Debraj Punji from his house on the directions of Kalahandi Superintendent of Police Sudha Singh.

After the arrest and interrogation, the serial killer, Devraj confessed that he had killed an Indica driver, Pratap Behera on April 4 near Barpali and the vehicle was hired from Angul district. The Indica was then seized by Kantabanji Forest Department but the accused escaped.

A month later, on May 5, the looters again hired an Indica from Sambalpur district and killed its driver Sahabuddin in Balangir district and ran away with the vehicle for which Balangir police had registered a case.

Again on June 6, the looters hired a Bolero from Bhawanipatna and killed its driver Tankadhar Naik after pouring petrol on him at Gadachhap Pole near Kantabanji. After arrest, Debraj showed the spot to the Bhawnipatna police where Tankadhar was burnt to death by him and his associates. The police have also seized few bones of the dead driver from the spot.

IIC Pandey told The Pioneer that the police have launched a manhunt to nab the rest of killer’s associates. Pandey also said that a driver should always ask the hirer to ring on his (driver’s) mobile at least once, so that it would be easy to nab the culprit if any incident occurs.