Bhubaneswar, July 12: Three persons were detained in connection with a series of loot incidents in the city in the last week.

Embarrassed by the spate of such cases, the police have taken several steps to avoid reoccurrence of such crimes. Moreover, efforts to nab the culprits have been intensified.

While police are conducting raids at different places in and outside the state, CCTV cameras have been installed at different banks. Rewards have also been announced for information on criminals involved in these incidents.

Deputy commissioner of police Nitinjeet Singh said the same gang appeared to be involved in most of the cases in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. “The criminals appear to be from outside the twin cities. They commit the crime and flee the commissionerate area,” said Singh.

“Any suspicious-looking rider is being detained and interrogated,” said Singh. Moreover, from today onwards, patrolling around the banks has been further intensified with the deployment of two to three policemen. During cash transaction hours, police officers in plainclothes would keep a watch on the banks. The twin cities have around 200 branches of different banks.

Police commissioner B.K. Sharma had earlier said the police were ready to provide free escort service to people drawing large amounts of cash from banks. The police said people were beginning to respond and opt for the service.