KORAPUT: A person was on Monday arrested for allegedly possessing
gemstones worth Rs 1.5 crore following a raid at the district headquarters town of Rayagada on Monday. It was carried out by the special task force of the state Crime Branch, along with police.
The accused, identified by police as 48-year-old Jitendra Kumar Behera, was arrested near Jagannath complex in Rayagada with a four-wheeler.
“As many as 23 types of gemstones, weighing 153kg, were recovered from his possession. He had kept them in separate gunny bags,” Rayagada SP Saravana Vivek M said. He added that the accused used to procure the gemstones illegally from Gujarat and Rajasthan and supply them to traders in Odisha.