Thieves Trapped by Locals in Rourkela, Call Police for Help

Two persons accused of theft contacted the police emergency helpline seeking rescue after being trapped inside a house by local residents in Rourkela ’s Basanti Colony on the night of April 29. According to the Times Of India, the accused, Simbrumb alias Nanak Singh (30) of Plantsite and Satyendra Kumar Singh (32) of Chhend, allegedly broke open the gate lock of a two-storeyed house and entered the ground floor, where a tenant, Madhav Kisan, resides. Both the tenant and the landlord, Ganesh Biswal, were not present at the time of the incident. An elderly neighbour reportedly noticed suspicious sounds while watching television and alerted other residents. Soon after, locals gathered and locked the main gate as well as access to the rooftop, effectively confining the two inside the premises. With no way to escape and apprehensive of possible assault by the gathered crowd, the accused contacted the emergency helpline number 112. They also reportedly informed their family members about the situation. Police reached the spot at around 2.30 am and took the two into custody. Officials said some residents attempted to confront the accused before police intervened and brought the situation under control. Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused allegedly broke open an almirah and took gold and silver ornaments from the house. On April 30 morning, the tenant lodged a formal complaint at Uditnagar police station. During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted to the theft but stated that they had left the ornaments inside the house due to fear after being trapped. Police subsequently recovered the items and returned them to the complainant.