Bhubaneswar: Police on Tuesday busted an interstate burglary racket by arresting 12 members of a gang allegedly involved in a string of thefts targeting houses and jewellery shops in Khurda and Nayagarh districts. Police recovered stolen gold and silver ornaments worth more than Rs 88 lakh from the accused.The arrested persons are from Khurda, Puri and Ganjam districts and were wanted in at least 15 burglary cases reported since May 2025. Police officials said the gang primarily targeted residential buildings and jewellery establishments, carrying out break-ins during late-night hours.“Of the 15 cases cracked, 13 were registered under Tangi, Nachuni, Banapur and Balugaon police station limits in Khurda district, while two others were reported from Chandapur in Nayagarh district,” Khurda SP Smit Parmar said.Police said the recovered booty includes around 500gm of gold ornaments and 11kg of silver jewellery. The accused were tracked down after a sustained investigation involving technical surveillance, intelligence gathering and coordinated raids across multiple locations.“Our teams analysed the modus operandi adopted by the gang, examined crime patterns and developed actionable intelligence. The operation involved close coordination among several police units,“ Parmar said.According to the police, the gang’s most recent strike was at a jewellery store in Banapur in the early hours of Oct 28. The shop owner, Niranjan Patra, alleged that burglars broke through a 10-inch-thick rear wall of his store before entering the premises and decamping with Rs 5 lakh in cash, around 400gm of gold ornaments and nearly 13 kg of silver articles.Police are conducting financial investigation and examining whether the gang has links to similar burglary cases in neighbouring districts. Further investigation is underway to identify any additional associates and recover the remaining stolen valuables.