Real-Life ‘Special 26’ Heist In Odisha, Robbers Loot Retd Doctor’s House Posing As Vigilance Officals; 6 Arrested

Kendrapada: Police have arrested six members of a gang, who looted 500 gm of gold jewellery worth Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh in cash from the house of a retired physician at Oldhi village under Derabishi police limits in Odisha’s Kendrapada district on July 10.

The robbery was a real-life recreation of the 2013 Bollywood film Special 26, starring Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher and Manoj Bajpayee.

The gang arrived at the house of Dr Jalil Ahmad Khan (80), a retired government medical college doctor from Jamshedpur, posing as Vigilance officials. Once inside, they confiscated the mobile phones of all family members. Two among them confined the family in a corner of the house, while others broke open three almirahs and looted valuables and cash before fleeing.

The arrested—Saraf Ali (35), Prafulla Behera (43), Abhilas Nayak (20, an engineering student), Abu Jafar Khan (30), Sk Raju, and Jakir Khan (41)—admitted to mimicking the film’s plot, said Derabishi police station IIC Ambika Prasad Das.

He further stated that police cracked the case using CCTV footage and call detail record analysis. Four mobile phones, two motorcycles, Rs 50,000 and incriminating documents were seized from the accused. While these six have been booked under Sections 310 and 333 of the BNS and forwarded to court, efforts are on to apprehend two other absconding members of the gang, he added.