TURA: Police in the East Garo Hills region are undertaking extensive search operations in and around the Dobu-Rongjeng region following a daring highway robbery on Sunday night in which unidentified men carrying sophisticated AK-47 rifles waylaid as many as seven to eight passenger vehicles passing through National Highway 62 and robbed passengers of money, jewellery and mobile phones.
The private vehicles that were passing through Dobu-Agalgre area under Rongjeng police station were stopped by 7 masked men, 2 of them brandishing AK rifles and another duo holding pistols, between 7:30 and 8 O’clock Sunday night.
With no police presence on the road at that given time, the dacoits each passing vehicle, assaulted passengers and snatched all their precious belongings. The gang was able to loot from one of the passengers a sum of Rs 1,30,000/-.
After committing the crime, they took away a Mahindra Scorpio vehicle belonging to one of the victims and drove towards Tasek lake in Songsak where they abandoned the vehicle and disappeared into the forests.
“We have identified some suspects but all of them are away from their houses. We are on the search for them,” informed East Garo Hills Superintendent of police, Ringrang T G Momin.
Reacting to reports about previous dacoity incidents along the same route, the district police chief acknowledged that attempts have been made in the past by criminal gangs to commit crime.
“The isolated stretches along the highway are often targeted by dacoits who place logs and rocks to block the roads. Our highway patrol teams have intercepted many such blockades and cleared it while sanitising the route,” added the police chief.
