TURA, July 28: Commuters passing through the national highway 62 that connects North Garo Hills with East Garo Hills district were targeted by an armed gang that ambused them in a desolate part of the road and decamped with their money on Tuesday evening.
The criminals, believed to have in their possession country made handguns and daggers, stopped vehicles on the road in an isolated stretch between Wageasi in the north and Rongmil area in the east.
They blocked two vehicles heading towards Williamnagar on Tuesday evening and snatched close to fifty thousand rupees from one of the vehicles.
However, one of the stranded vehicles managed to get away and alerted police at Rongjeng which rushed forces to the area.
Two days back, a similar attack was reported from the same route, but this time at a desolate place, 8 kms from Wageasi, when a public transport pik up truck returning to neighbouring Assam was targeted. The criminals broke the windshield and assaulted the driver for refusing to part with the money.
Police strongly suspect the same gang to be involved in both incidents, in the past few days.
To provide security to travellers, police from both districts have increased high patrolling in the vulnerable stretches of the highway.