Three of the arrested youths. Telegraph picture

Paradip, Sept. 5: Six unemployed youths, who took to crime to maintain their trendy lifestyles, were arrested today.

The gang had been breaking into houses in Paradip civil township and Paradip Phosphates Limited (PPL) township areas.

The police said the arrested youths had decent family backgrounds and all of them were educated. Their parents were employees of PPL, a private fertiliser-manufacturing unit. All of them were graduates except one, who was an engineering degree student.

“We have arrested six educated youths from the port town. The gang had executed most of the burglary and theft cases reported in the urban areas in the past couple of months,” said Anil Mishra, inspector of Paradip police station.

Gold ornaments and Rs 60,000 cash were recovered from their possession. The accused have confessed to the crime.

Those arrested, who were later remanded to judicial custody, were Sushant Mallick, Biswajit Swain, Manoranjan Bhoi, Rashi Ranjan Senapati, Bhabagrahi Mallick and Babuli Swain.

The accused had committed burglary in shops and residential quarters located in isolated spots. The police kept a tab on the group group’s movement after a series of theft cases had occurred in recent past on the high-security PPL premises. “After intense interrogation, they gave in and spilled the beans,” Mishra said.

The craze for a posh life drove them to try out their hands in burglary, theft and snatching. Their parents had little knowledge of this.

When the police intercepted them, they were all in possession of trendy mobile phones, flashy apparels and motorcycles. A dozen of more youths from decent families were believed to be active members of this group, he said.

Of late, Paradip and its peripheral areas have been witnessing a spurt in cases of burglary, theft and chain-snatching.