Bhubaneswar: Police have issued an advisory to morning walkers to not carry valuables during their walk following another snatching incident at Shastri Nagar on Monday morning.

A 45-year-old businessman was assaulted by two goons while he was out on a walk. The police said the motorcycle-borne duo tried to snatch Bharat Nayak's gold chain around 6am before attacking him with a sharp weapon when he resisted. Nayak suffered injuries in his hands in the attack.

"The pulled my chain from behind and when I tried to stop them, one of them pulled out a sharp weapon and attacked me. It all happened so quickly that I was not able to properly see their faces," said Nayak.

Morning walkers have become a soft target for snatchers with similar attacks a regular occurrence on city outskirts. The cops, however, claimed that such attacks in the main city was rare. "Hundreds of people walk on the main roads and, as a result, the miscreants hesitate to attack them. Prima facie the victim was attacked solely for resisting the robbery bid," said a police officer.

The Puri bypass road has been a major target area for snatchers with a number of walkers being targeted. The police said a particular gang was operating that mainly targeted these walkers. "They mostly target the elderly as they are not likely to resist. They also attack with weapons when the victims resist," said the officer.

Deputy commissioner of police Satyabrata Bhoi advised the walkers not to carry valuables while taking a walk. "We have started a probe after registering a case. We are also going through CCTV footage from nearby areas to identify the goons involved," he said.