a day ago
Youth arrested for snatching Hungarian woman's mobile
Bhubaneswar: Nayapalli police on Monday arrested a 19-year-old youth on charges of snatching a Hungarian woman's mobile phone in the city last week. The accused was identified as Mohammad Rihan alias Jumma, a resident of a Nayapalli slum.
Turi Virag Reka (25), an Odissi instructor from Budapest, filed a police report on July 11 alleging that two men on a motorcycle had snatched her mobile phone near the N-4 area in the upscale Nayapalli neighbourhood at 5pm.
Police sources said Reka, who had arrived in Bhubaneswar three months earlier to study Odissi, was walking near Nayapalli Community Care Association when her mobile was snatched.
"The theft left me panicked and worried as my phone contained crucial digital documents and two SIM cards — one Indian and one Hungarian," her complaint stated.
Reka, who has been frequently visiting Odisha since the last 10 years, also said that her situation was particularly urgent as she was scheduled to depart India on Monday.
"We prioritised her case due to her approaching visa expiration. We formed a three-member team for investigation and activated the property offence prevention and detection (POPD) unit," a senior police officer said.
Police examined footage from about 30 CCTV cameras near the crime scene, which led them to identify Rihan. They arrested him on Monday morning and retrieved the stolen mobile phone, which was returned to Reka.
"Our swift action and successful recovery of the phone enabled the foreign national to leave the country as scheduled on Monday. We are looking for Rihan's associate, who is on the run," the police officer said.
