PANCHKULA: Pinjore’s three month looting spree blamed on a mysterious motorcycle gang had a latest episode at Kiratpur village three days ago. Five robbers took away Rs 70,000 cash and some gold ornaments from the house of a former
sarpanch of after locking up his family in a washroom at gunpoint when he was at a rally.
The robbers got away on two motorcycles. The case was registered on Wednesday after former sarpanch Jaswinder Singh went to police. When he got back from the rally around 10.30 on Sunday night, the gates were open and the house seemed empty. When he called out members of his family, five masked intruders armed with guns appeared in front and asked him to clear his pockets. After he surrendered his wallet carrying Rs 2,700, they struck him in the head with the butt of gun and locked him up with his family before they cleared the house of cash, gold, and silver.
The intruders even raided children’s piggy bank kept in the house. The former sarpanch told police that he had identified one of them by the voice to be Kiratpur villager Mandeep Singh. Based on the complaint, cops registered a case under Sections 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 395 (punishment for dacoity), 397 (robbery or dacoity to cause death or grievous injury), and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the
Indian Penal Code (IPC) and various Sections of the Arms Act at the
Pinjore police station.
Pinjore station house officer (SHO) inspector Virender Singh said: “We have registered a case based on the complaint and now the investigation is under progress.” A spurt in cases of loot, snatching, and theft has caused worries in Pinjore and Kalka. There have been five robberies at gunpoint in both areas since July and in all these, three-to-four men on motorcycles are reported to be involved.
On August 6, three guntoting motorcyclists robbed a Pinjore liquor outlet of Rs 15,000 cash and a crate of whiskey. On July 27, the motorcycle gang struck again at Pinjore and looted Rs 35,000 at gunpoint from a petrol filling station. On July14, three people, including a woman, took away cash from a filling station at
Raipur Rani near Kalka.
On the night of July12, four masked men had robbed Rs 15,000 at gunpoint from a petrol-filling station near Nanakpur village on the Pinjore-Nalagarh highway. The Nanakpur filling station belongs to Rajesh Jain, brother of former Haryana State Congress Committee media coordinator Pawan Jain. His three workers were at the station when the four robber came in on two motorcycles and asked for re-fuelling. Their manners gave away their intentions and so the workers told them the pumps had run out of fuel.
However, three of the robbers walked towards the office cabin and told the staff to open it. When the workers declined, one of them broke the door glass with two gunshots and the gang barged in. The workers told police that the robbers appeared to be in their mid-20s.