JEYPORE: In a broad daylight heist, four motorcycle-borne miscreants looted about Rs 12 lakh from a contractor near Semiliguda under Koraput sub-division on Friday.According to police, Bipra Moharana, a contractor of Sunabeda-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), had withdrawn about Rs 12 lakh from the local branch of SBI in the afternoon. He was walking to his Gandhinagar residence in Semiliguda when four motorcycle-borne miscreants snatched the money and fled.
Later, Moharana informed both Semiliguda and Sunabeda police who rushed to the spot and started investigation. However, no clue has been found till reports last came in.Sources said it is for the first time that such a huge amount has been looted by miscreants in the industrial town of Sunabeda. The incident has created panic among the business community.
Recently, two unidentified miscreants had looted Rs 80,000 from an Uttar Pradesh-based businessman near his house at Soura Street in Jeypore. Though more than four looting cases have been reported in Jeypore in the last couple of days, police have failed to arrest the culprits.
While the recent incidents have triggered widespread resentment among the locals, members of citizen committees and business community on Friday have urged the DIG (South Western Range) to review the law and order situation in the town. They alleged that though these loot incidents were captured in CCTV cameras, the district police is yet to nab the miscreants. Armed dacoit gangs are on the prowl on the outskirts due to police laxity, they said.Police said investigation is on and the culprits will be nabbed soon.