Bhubaneswar, Feb. 13 -- Bolangir Police have busted a nine-member interstate theft gang that allegedly travelled from Odisha's Nayagarh to carry out a series of thefts in the district. A trader accused of assisting the gang by remaking stolen jewellery was also arrested, taking the total number of arrests to 10.

The breakthrough came after investigators recovered fingerprint evidence from a looted jewellery shop in Chudapali.

According to police, the gang targeted temples and jewellery shops before fleeing the scene. One of the accused, Panchu Behera, a habitual offender, was identified after his fingerprint was found at a jewellery shop looted on January 31 in Chudapali.

Bolangir SP Abhilash G said the fingerprint was cross-verified, ...