With the arrest of eight persons, police on Saturday claimed to have busted a gang of robbers who stole parked trucks on highways in Odisha's Jajpur district and sold them.
Police also recovered a stolen truck, a SUV vehicle, sharp edged weapons, 56 truck tyres and 12 mobile phones from their possession on Thursday, while five gang members managed to escape, Jajpur Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Santosh Kumar Nayak said.
Police claimed the gang had been involved in stealing of as many as many as 16 trucks from Jajpur district alone.
Besides, the gang was involved in stealing of many trucks in Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Angul and Khurda districts, Nayak said.
The gang was operating in a technical manner by dividing its members into four teams. The inter district gang used to steal parked trucks on National and state highways and sell them in and outside the state.
The gang came to police net after district Superintendent of Police formed a special squad to nab the gang in wake of the rampant theft of trucks in the district.
More than 94 trucks were reportedly stolen in Jajpur district in the last two years. The special squad raided several places and nabbed eight members of the gang.
The ASP said the 13 member gang used to divide themselves into four teams during operation.
"While the first team consists of four members kept a close watch on the movement of trucks on National or state highways and collect information regarding their parking places, the second team, consists of two expert drivers loot the vehicles from the parking places," he said.
He said the stolen trucks would then be handed over to third team who works as the custodian of the looted vehicles adding fourth team comprise of garage owner and Kabadiwala (scrap merchant) collect the truck and sold them in and outside the state.
