ROURKELA: In yet another incident of loot in Sundargarh’s Bonai sub-division, eight armed miscreants raided a transport office at the block office chowk under Koida police limits and decamped with around Rs 2.30 lakh cash just after midnight on Wednesday.
Police sources said the masked miscreants barged into the office of Maa Tarini Transport, about 120 km from Rourkela, at around 12.15 am. They terrorised four staffers at gunpoint and broke open the office drawers. After collecting around Rs 2.30 lakh cash, they snatched the mobile phones of the staff and fled before vandalising the CCTV cameras and other articles inside the office.
On being informed, a team led by IIC of Koida police station JR Pati rushed to the spot for investigation. All exit routes were sealed to nab the miscreants who are suspected to have escaped towards towards Malda-Barbil using a four-wheeler. Police said available footage of CCTV cameras is being scanned to get clues about the robbers.
DIG (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai said initial investigation revealed that the miscreants were carrying small firearms and sharp weapons. Efforts are underway to identify and nab the robbers. Rai said all transport firms operating in Koida Mining Circle (KMC) would be instructed to avoid keeping cash in their offices.
Incidentally, three years ago, Koida police had stopped the practice of maintaining cash at transport offices for payment to truck drivers.
Earlier on November 12, five armed miscreants using similar modus operandi had raided the office of Basukinath Roadways Pvt Ltd near Barsuan railway siding under Lahunipada police limits of KMC in the night and looted `3.59 lakh cash. A few days back, two transport offices at Rengalbeda under Koida police limits were also looted, but the incidents went unreported.
In September, armed miscreants had looted electrical items worth about `95 lakh from an under-construction power grid under Lahunipada police limits. In October, a house at Bonai was also looted of around `40 lakh gold and cash.