Bravery award for foiling bank robbery attempt

TT, Siliguri, Dec. 7: Siliguri metropolitan police today felicitated six persons who foiled a robbery attempt in a Bandhan Bank loan unit at Shaktigarh last week and helped the arrest of four men.

Sixteen policemen posted in Siliguri, Bhaktinagar, New Jalpaiguri and Ambari were given letters of appreciation in connection with the case.

Sulekha Baidya and Kalpana Mondal, both from Ambikanagar, Raja Gurung, a resident of Shaktigarh, Nitai Mondal of Pankouri, Sagar Roy of New Jalpaiguri and Tarzan Roy of Ambari were felicitated at the Siliguri metropolitan police grounds in Mallaguri.

Each of them got Rs 2,000 and a certificate of bravery.

"We appreciate the way they assisted our men by sharing information about the miscreants and helped us locate their escape route. With their timely co-ordination, we managed to arrest four robbers who had raided a bank's office. Their attempt failed," said police commissioner Manoj Verma.

On December 1, a gang raided the Bandhan Bank's loan disbursement unit at Shaktigarh and tried to snatch a bag that had Rs 5 lakh from a female employee.

Sulekha and Kalpana, who were at the bank, resisted the gang along with others. Later that day, four members of the gang were arrested.

Verma said security had been tightened in and around Siliguri after bank raids, blasts in Assam and recent arrests of ISI agents. "Vehicles are being checked regularly and frisking is on in markets and commercial complexes."