Kendrapara, March 23: Their foray into crime for the sake of a fashionable lifestyle has finally been cut short.

Police here have intercepted a gang of juvenile delinquents, including two High School Certificate (HSC) examinees, involved in theft of desktop computer sets from educational institutions.

“The arrested are all in the 14-16 age group and two of them were appearing for the ongoing HSC examination. The offenders are from lower middle-class families and are residents of Nikirai on the outskirts of Kendrapara township,” said Manasi Patra, inspector, Nikirai police station.

They craved for a fast life, fashionable, trendy clothes and costly mobile sets. To meet the expenses of their costly desires, these teenagers had taken recourse to stealing computer sets, she added.

The culprits had found an easy way out to steal computer sets from high schools as these educational institutions are mostly left unguarded. Six computer sets were seized from their possession, police said, adding that the offenders were remanded to the Berhampur-based juvenile reformatory jail after a local court dismissed their bail applications.

Police have received a series of complaints from school authorities about theft of computers. But law-enforcing agencies had been groping in dark till yesterday’s interception of the gang of teenagers.

“We believe that the gang was actively involved in the computer theft cases reported in the past months. We have identified the receivers of these stolen computers sets. They will shortly be arrested for abetting the crime,” said Patra.

The juvenile delinquents used to steal the computers after the schools had closed for the day. Before the school’s night watchmen reported for duty, they managed to run away with the stolen goods.

“We have asked the authorities of nearby schools not to leave their institutions unguarded after school hours,” Patra added.