Armed miscreants loot Rs 2 lakh from petrol pump in Ri Bhoi, SP to convene meeting with pump owners

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJanuary 8, 2022

Ri Bhoi police have decided to convene a meeting with all petrol pump owners on January 10, following the robbery case at 14^th Mile.

Two masked miscreants armed with sophisticated weapons looted over Rs 2 lakh from the Highway Carrier Refilling Center at 14^th Mile along the inter-state border with Assam. They came to the petrol pump in a red and black coloured 220cc Pulsar.

Speaking over phone, Superintendent of Police (SP) Giri Prasad said that he would immediately convene a meeting with all the petrol pump owners in the district.

“I am having a meeting with all the petrol pump owners on Monday to ensure CCTVs should be fully functional and the need to adopt necessary precautionary measures,” he added.

As per the CCTV footage, the two miscreants – one armed with a AK-47 rifle and another with a pistol – entered into the cabin of the petrol pump manager and at gunpoint asked for the locker and took away cash amounting to over Rs 2 lakhs.

One of the armed miscreants with an AK-47 rifle was seen covering his face with a cloth while the other one with a 9mm pistol was wearing a helmet and was carrying a bag.

The SP informed that the two miscreants had come from Assam side. He said the petrol pump is located right opposite the road towards Sonapur side in Assam.

When asked, Prasad said that the robbers were communicating in Hindi and had also used some Assamese slang.

“We highly suspected that they are from Assam as they had also fled towards the road that goes to Sonapur in Assam,” he added.

The SP further informed that this was not the first time that a robbery had taken place in the area.

“Similar case had also happened three years ago in that area but it was in a different petrol pump,” he said.

Stating that efforts are on to nab the culprits, Prasad said, “We are working in close coordination with the Assam police.”

The SP said he cannot say if the incident has any connection with militancy. “We cannot finalize that as we have to find out who they are so we are working with the Assam police,” he added.