Spree of thefts jolt Silchar citizens in rural areas for the last few days

SILCHAR: Thefts in towns and robberies in rural areas for the last few days have jolted the people in general, sending virtually an alarming signal. Not only the vulnerable zones lying in the outskirts of the town but even in the interior areas, the gang of criminals armed with traditional weapons have been targeting residential homes, taking away valuables they can lay their hands. They did not spare a house preparing for the marriage of their daughter at Tikarbasti on Ram Krishna Mission lane and looted jewellery and other costly things and made their escape good. Last night the thieves made abortive attempts to break into the house of senior citizen Niharendu Purkayastha at Chittaranjan Avenue as the inmates and neighbours woke up by the hammering of locks on the gate. All this happened in the last one week.

Significantly, it was at the initiative of Niharendu Purkayastha, vice president of Pro Active Senior Citizens' Forum, that a memorandum was submitted to the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police of Cachar on the menace of frequent thefts, snatching, reckless driving by vehicles, parking in flagrant violation of traffic rules and for taking effective measures to rein in them. Of concern in this chain of crimes were the desperate and daring attempts in broad day light by organised gang of criminals to snatch away lakhs of rupees from the two women who were returning home after withdrawing money from Banks.

The two victims lost Rs 4 lakh and Rs 6 lakh each. The snatcher in the third instance also from a woman who tried to take away withdrawn money from bank failed to do so as the pedestrians swooped on him, caught him and beat him up right and left and handed him over to the police. He was identified as Rabindra Goala hailing from Jalpaiguri of North Bengal. During interrogation, he confessed he was a part of the criminals who had been carrying on their criminal activities in the town from a rented house at Meherpur. The police is looking for his other accomplices who are on the run. Responding to the memorandum, night vigilance and patrolling by police has been mounted. For the time, criminals seem to have taken back seat. The memorandum was signed by Ajoy Das ex IAS, Prof Dilip Kumar Dey, Mihir Kar Purkayastha, Dr Saurindra Kumar Bhattacharjee and other members of the Forum.