Robbers on firing spree caught & hit

TT, Siliguri, Sept. 8: Two men suffered bullet injuries when a gang of armed robbers opened fire in a bid to escape after snatching away a bag containing ornaments from a jewellery showroom in Siliguri tonight.

The security guard at the showroom on Hill Cart Road, Rana Sheikh, and a bystander, Barun Roy, were shot on the legs and admitted to a nursing home.

The robbers, who were suspected to be from Manipur, were caught and thrashed by local people. Police rescued the trio and admitted them to the hospital.

Siliguri metropolitan police said three youths had walked into P.C. Chandra Jewellers near the Darjeeling district CPM office around 7.20pm. "All the three were wearing helmets and posing as customers. The guard at the showroom felt suspicious and asked them to remove the headgear," a police officer said.

The youths immediately took out firearms, grabbed a bag with gold ornaments kept on a table and dashed out of the shop. "On the way out, the robbers fired a shot at Sheikh and snatched away his revolver," said the officer.

In the evenings, the area is crowded. Seeing the robbers flee, local people started chasing them.

"The robbers fired some more rounds and a driver who was standing nearby suffered a bullet injury. The people weren't, however, deterred and continued to run after the attackers. One of the robbers slipped and fell on the road. The people first caught him and then the other two," the police officer said.

The crowd roughed up the three who were rescued by the police led by Siliguri commissioner Niraj Kumar Singh. "We suspect the attackers are from Manipur. All the three were arrested and two firearms and a dagger have been seized. The bag they had taken away from the showroom was also recovered," said Singh.

Dipak Thakur, who is a railway employee and a witness to the incident, said: "I was sipping tea when three youths came running out of the jewellery showroom. They were firing indiscriminately and ran towards Sevoke More. I saw one man being shot at. I was fortunate to escape unhurt."

Police sources said during preliminary interrogation, they had learnt that the trio had arrived here today.

"We are trying to find out whether they had any local accomplices," a police source said.