TV
Armed robbers looted cash worth lakhs of rupees after brutally attacking the owner of a bank kiosk at the Hikudi outpost in the Dharmashala area of Subarnapur district on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to reports, a group of unidentified masked robbers brandished firearms and demanded cash from a bank kiosk owner, identified as Nilambar Mahapatra, near the Lehedi village in Dharmasala.
Upon resisting the loot attempt, the robbers attacked the bank kiosk owner, reportedly hitting his head repeatedly with the firearms. Subsequently, the masked men fired a warning shot before fleeing with approximately Rs 1.5 lakh in cash and other valuables.
Local residents found the man and admitted him to the district hospital in critical condition.
Interacting with media persons, the injured bank kiosk owner stated that the attack seemed planned and coordinated. “The robbers were hiding at a dark spot by the road and spanged upon me. Before I could realise anything they looted money from three vending machines I was carrying with me and also snatched my phone,” claimed Mahapatra.
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Meanwhile, police reached the spot and recovered a firearm and some bullets from the crime scene. However, till the last reports, they have yet to offer any additional comments but stated that an investigation is ongoing.
The armed robbery comes exactly a week after miscreants a large sum of money after cutting open an ATM machine using gas cutters in the Panchupati area of Dhenkanal district on the intervening night of January 8 and 9.
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Further, on that same night, at least seven different residential locations were burgled in the Aul block of Kendrapara district. As such, the rising cases of robberies point to growing lawlessness, sparking concern among residents and business owners alike.
