In a first of the pre Diwali crime around half a dozen robbers on NH 75 near Kathpulya enroute to Chandwa under the Latehar district looted a dozen vehicles and beat up 3 travellers on the night of Thursday.
SP Latehar Anjani Anjan said our Chandwa police rushed to the place of occurrence with a small team where it came under fire which was retaliated by our boys. Police fired 5 rounds.
Police nabbed one robber on the spot and recovered 5,000 rupees from his possession which is the booty of the robbery, said the officer in charge of the Chandwa police station Madan Sharma.
The three who were hurt by the robbers were given first aid at the community health centre Chandwa at night itself, said Dr N K Pandey, medical officer in charge.
Dr Pandey said all the three who visited the health centre spoke of their beating with wooden sticks by the robbers. All the three had minor injuries, added the medical officer in charge of the centre.
SP Latehar Anjani Anjan clarified that no woman or girl traveller was any harassed by the robbers who, however, smashed wind screens of some of the vehicles just to strike terror on NH 75 which the local police contained in the shortest of time.
Sources said come Diwali and road hold up or loot goes up. This incident on NH 75 has come as a challenge to the local police Chandwa and the district police too since NH 75 is the breathing line of Jharkhand.
On whether Latehar district police will increase its NH patrol to which SP Latehar said "Everything is done in accordance with the standard operational procedures following the NH being in the naxal stretch. We are determined to crack this group."
On being asked if the Thursday NH 75 robbery is the handiwork of the old group of criminals or any new gang has sprung up to which SP Latehar said the robber whom our boys caught right on the spot has a shady history of crime as he had been to the jail twice. There is no new gang but the old one had been attempted which was contained by the police.