Daring dacoity creates panic, two arrested

Special Correspondent

Silchar, June 12: The upper reaches of Lakhipur sub division are prone to crimes due to its geographical features and being an access route to Jiribam of Manipur. In this area inhabited by tribals and non tribals, the crime graph is usually high in comparison to the other parts of Cachar district. It has also been an area of frequent insurgent activities, though in a low profile as of now. But, the daring dacoity committed by a gang of 7 men, aged between 20 to 30 years, one masked and the others with open face, in the house of Milon Roy, businessman, at the midnight of last Saturday created ripples in the administrative and security circles.

According to information, the dacoits armed and with sharp weapons targeted the house of Milon Roy (38) located at Chiripool near Chiri Bridge, 3 km from Lakhipur police station. In the eerie midnight, the dacoits used pointed weapons and sharp objects to break open the iron grills to make passage to the house of Milon Roy. The sound of tampering with grills woke up Milon Roy and his family members who included his wife Lipi Roy and two children. As Roy opened the door of his bedroom, he stood face to face with the dacoits who took his little daughter apart and threatened to kill her if he showed any resistance in their way.

In order to create panic, the dacoits fired at the electric fan. Lipi Roy pleaded with them not to kill her daughter and take away all the cash and gold in their possession. As the dacoits were busy collecting cash and jewellery, Milon Roy mustered courage to raise alarm which made his next door neighbour Subodh Das Choudhury, teacher, and his son come out. But by then, the robbers finished their job and before leaving beat up Milon Roy and his wife. In the meantime, information reached the Lakhipur police station about the incident.

S J Bora, IPS, attached with the police station along with Anwar Hussain Choudhury, officer-in-charge and a police team reached the house of Milon Roy soon. After receiving detailed information, the police team went for searches at Lalpani, Makhannagar and Lakhipur areas, but failed to find any clue. With the filing of FIR following morning, the case number 116 u/s 395 was registered. The robbers as testified by Milon Roy were speaking broken Hindi and broken Bengali, usual ploy by them to camouflage their identity. Taking a serious view of the daring robbery, additional SP P V V Rakesh Reddy visited the house of Milon Roy and was briefed by him.

Plan was chalked out to nab the suspects. Accordingly, S J Bora and Anwar Hussain Choudhury took the help of Jirighat police station, facing Jiribam in Manipur, to carry out raid at an isolated village of Diglan, 15 km from the police station. The house of Zakir Hussain was searched which led to the recovery of a handmade gun and dao. Similar search was made in the house of Mujibur Rahman which yielded nothing. But, both were taken into custody on substantial circumstantial evidences. Hussain and Rahman are now subjected to cross-examination and would be produced before the Sub Divisional Magistrate, Lakhipur on Wednesday. The arrest of culprits within 48 hours of the crime has evoked appreciation from the people of Lakhipur for the police.