JAGATSINGHPUR: Raising questions on the efficiency of Tirtol police, a series of robberies were reported in Mulising and Biritola panchayats on Thursday night triggering panic among locals.
Robbers first broke into the grocery shop of one Ali Bux at Mulisingh bazaar in the night and decamped with grocery items and cash worth more than `1 lakh. Ali has lodged an FIR with Tirtol police in this regard.

Later, the dacoits struck at a Hanuman temple in the same locality and looted cash of `30,000 after breaking the hundi. Similarly, miscreants tried to loot a stationary shop of one Gyanranjan Sahoo at Biritola bazaar. However, they failed in their attempt after Sahoo, who was sleeping inside his shop, woke up after hearing the sound of the door breaking. When he raised an alarm, the robbers fled the spot after leaving their bike. Sahoo also filed an FIR in Tirtol police station.

Sources said dacoits are striking at will at various places in Tirtol since the last one month and seem to have no fear of the police. Four robberies took place in Rasulpur, Saharhat and Biritol last month but police are yet to make any breakthrough in the cases.

Locals alleged that lack of patrolling and laid back attitude of police in investigating the cases are the main causes of the rise in robbery incidents in Tirtol.

On February 28, miscreants had looted the house of a CRPF jawan Bijay Kumar Khatua at Sidhabhuni village within Raghunathpur police limits and decamped with gold ornaments worth `4 lakh and cash of `20,000. Bijay’s wife lodged an FIR in this regard following which a case was registered. Despite deploying sniffer dog and forensic team, there has been no headway in investigation even after one week of the incident.