TURA, August 11: A gang of criminals who were out for a midnight heist in Tikrikilla region of West Garo Hills had their plans thwarted by an alert village defense party that detained them and later handed over to police, late Tuesday night.
“The criminals were moving into Gondagre village near Tikrikilla when a village defense party spotted them and caught three of the gang members. Two others managed to escape,” revealed district superintendent of police V S Rathore.
Noticing the suspicious movement of a group of men in a car late in the night in the village area, the VDP members blocked their route and sought their identification. During the checking of the vehicle they found a bag inside which was concealed a country made pistol and a dao. Unable to provide any credible answers to the possession of the weapons and movement into a village they did not belong to, the VDP quickly took them into custody and alerted police who came and arrested them.
“The arrest was made possible due to immense help and support of the vigilant people of the area,” a delighted SP informed.
It is worth mentioning that there have been periodic cases of forced entry and robbery in many remote places by gangs who come in vehicles in the dead of night. Almost three years ago, a spate of robberies of churches took place in West and East Garo Hills districts and police were unable to bring to book the main culprits despite extensive investigation.
At that time, the criminals did not spare even the missionaries as they looted church offices of cash and other valuables. Robberies were reported from Dalu catholic church, at Chapahati in Nogorpara, in Williamnagar catholic church, at Garobadha Dominic Savio Church, and even in remote Chokpot where a similar attempt was made around the same time.