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Odisha man who committed over 500 burglaries using a crowbar re-arrested
The man confessed that he looted only cash from hotels and houses and was committing the crimes alone.
A 59-year-old Odisha man who quit studies in the late 80s to start burglary with crowbars across the country and later stayed in luxury hotels over the last 3 decades has been re-arrested by Odisha police.
Hemant Das, who since 1990 has allegedly committed more than 500 burglaries and petty thefts, was arrested by the special squad on Sunday while plotting a crime, said Bhubaneswar deputy commissioner of police Umashankar Dash.
“Known as the crowbar man for committing burglary using crowbars from closed houses and commercial establishments, he committed crimes all over the country. He flew to different cities using his loot money and stayed in hotels with room rents ranging between ₹7000 and 10000 a day. In his entire life, he has looted more than ₹5 crore but spent almost all of it in wining and dining and visiting brothels,” said the DCP. When he was arrested, there was only ₹1,400 left in his bank account, he added.
While studying in the BJB College in Bhubaneswar in the 1980s, the “crowbar man” was sent to jail in 1988 for his involvement in a case of group clash. There he came in contact with a notorious burglar in the jail. After his release from jail, he continued to be in touch with the notorious burglar and they became good friends. He then dropped out of college and chose burglary as his profession.
Hemanta confessed that he looted only cash from hotels and houses and was committing the crimes alone.
In 2018, the special squad arrested Hemanta and he was sent to jail. After getting bail, he did not go to his home despite having a family. He was caught in Puri in a case of burglary last year and was released from jail in July this year.
