TURA: A year after series of daring robberies on churches in the Garo Hills, police have finally cracked the case and nabbed the gang, including the kingpin behind the attacks.
West Garo Hills police, which constituted a special task force to nab the perpetrators, on Saturday night swooped down on several hideouts across the inter-state border in neighbouring Assam’s Dhubri and South Salmara districts which led to a hot chase and ultimate capture of the five prime members of the inter-state criminal gang including the leader Jamaluddin (46).
“We conducted raids in Kalapani village of Assam and they tried to getaway using a stolen Bolero and a motorcycle but we nabbed all five criminals after a chase,” revealed West Garo Hills Superintendent of Police MGR Kumar while speaking to The Shillong Times.
The stolen modified Bolero Pik Up and a motorcycle with East Khasi Hills registration were all seized from the gang.
The gang is believed to be involved in last year’s robberies at Dalu Sacred Heart Church, Dominic Savio church in Garobadha, a church in Chokpot and the attack on Loyola Church in Williamnagar where they left a Jesuit priest gagged and bound to a chair the entire night after failing to find any money.
The attacks took place in the months of January and February, last year.
This year, another robbery took place in January at Chapahati Catholic Church under Mahendraganj border belt in which the criminals broke open the church office, ransacked the place and took away several thousand rupees belonging to student admissions.
A CCTV inside the office was able to record the robbery and provide some details about the identity of the attackers.
‘We strongly suspect the gang to include Bangladeshi Nationals from across the border. They had been notoriously carrying on robberies for many years, generally in areas of Meghalaya, including districts of Garo hills, particularly West and South-West as well as along villages in proximity to international border,” revealed MGR Kumar.
According to the district police chief, the gang’s -modus operandi was to move in group of 15-20 men, quite ambulatory using vehicles for movement, wearing mask, not carrying any sophisticated weapon or arms but rather using simple techniques and equipment such as crowbars, rods and daggers to raid the churches and other places mostly during late night hours between 12 midnight to 2 am.
Going in a group atop a pick up vehicle at night, the criminals were easily able to pass off as labourers heading to or from construction sites.
Following a string of attacks on church parishes in January of last year, police had managed to arrest some of the gang members but the main leaders continued to remain free by staying dormant in the char villages across in Assam.
Last month, the robberies once again began happening with two incidents in South West Garo Hills (including the Chapahati church parish break-in) and another robbery in West Garo Hills.
West Garo Hills Police constituted a special team comprising of an additional SP in charge SDPO(Dadenggre), two IPS probationers, co-ordinated by Addl SP Tura and the cyber crime investigation centre to bring to book the ring leaders of the gang.
The inter-district special operations team of Garo Hills police launched a series of raids in the plains belt region of Garo Hills and also crossed over to Assam from where they were able to arrest kingpin and mastermind of the gang Jamaluddin and his close aides Surat Jamal from Kalapani area, Romesh Ali Mondal alias Nalu of Ksolissamari village of Assam, Gazibur Rehman (22) of Belbari village under Phulbari police station and Ainal Hoque.
Police believe that recent dacoity cases that have taken place in East and South Garo Hills bear the hallmarks of the same gang and are now gathering the evidence from different districts as they prepare to interrogate the arrested men.
The incriminating evidence obtained along with their confessions will give much respite to those affected by the night attacks which led to an atmosphere of fear each time darkness fell.
