Family-run truck theft gang busted

Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Police on Sunday arrested two brothers for allegedly taking trucks from owners under contractual arrangements and selling them elsewhere without paying the outstanding EMIs, causing losses worth lakhs of rupees to the vehicle owners. The accused brothers were identified as Manoj and Ashok Mahapatra.

Police said their family allegedly operated an organised gang involved in vehicle fraud across several districts of Odisha. “The accused siblings would identify people who had purchased or were planning to buy new trucks. They would lure the owners by promising to pay the EMIs to finance companies and offering rent for the vehicles. After taking possession of the trucks, they would abscond,” Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Saravana Vivek M said.

He also told reporters that so far four FIRs have been registered against the accused persons and their other family members over allegations of committing similar frauds. The latest case, in which Manoj and Ashok were arrested, was registered at Mancheswar police station in Bhubaneswar on August 14. According to the police, complainant Biswaranjan Patra, a representative of a private company, handed over a BharatBenz truck registered in the company’s name to Niranjan Mahapatra, the father of the arrested siblings, under an agreement on May 20, 2026. As per the agreement, accused Niranjan was required to pay the remaining 33 EMIs, amounting to around Rs 37.5 lakh, to the finance company.

He had also agreed to pay Patra Rs 15,000 per month. On July 31, Niranjan and his two sons, Manoj and Ashok, took possession of the vehicle after paying only Rs 10,000. However, they allegedly failed to pay any EMIs subsequently, causing financial losses to the complainant. During the course of investigation, the policemen also found that the case was not an isolated incident.

Police investigation has revealed that Niranjan’s entire family was running an organised gang. They would take vehicles from different people under contractual arrangements, sell them elsewhere and abscond without paying the EMIs. The family allegedly took vehicles from different owners under contractual arrangements, sold them to others and absconded without clearing the loan instalments.

The gang reportedly operated across several districts, including Ganjam, Kandhamala, Sundaragada, Boudh and Bhadrak, as well as the cities of Brahmapur and Raurkela. The accused allegedly changed their locations frequently to evade detection.

On Sunday, Mancheswar police produced the brothers in court, which remanded them to judicial custody. Police have sought 15 days’ remand of the accused for further investigation.

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The Hans India