RAJPUR: The recent spurt in dacoities by men in uniform has Created panic in the rural areas of the district.
Last month, dacoits in uniform struck at four places, including Mannan (Kartarpur), Dhanowali and Sufipind. Last week, 15 persons in Border Security Force, Army and Central Reserve Police Force uniforms looted 12 houses in Rajpur village, 255 km from Jalandhar and four km from Bhogpur.
The looters came to the village at 10:30 p.m. and decamped with valuables belonging to the villagers, including jewelry and electronic items, at 2:30 a.m.
Carrying pistols and other weapons, the armed men are believed to have looted the villagers of an estimated 70 tolas of gold valued at Rs.20 lakh.
The villagers whose houses were looted include Gurmit Singh. Harbhajan Kaur, Piara Singh, Novat Masih, Gurbachan Singh, Charanjit Kaur, Nasib Ram, Saddak Masih and two others both named Kirpal Singh.
Kuljit Singh, a villager, said that the looters were well-built and spoke Hindi.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, BSF, S.C. Boharia, has denied the involvement of BSF men in the dacoities. The BSF men patrolling the area finished their duly at 9:00 p.m. and the dacoits had struck at 10:30 p.m., he added.
Maj General Gurdip Singh (retd) who lives nearby, in Patiala village talked to officials on telephone and apprised them of the incident, following which is a senior Army officer visited the village twice for investigation.
The police have denied the involvement of any of its personnel in the dacoity.
On the intervening night of December 6 and 7, about 15 uniformed persons looted four houses in Mannas village in Kartarpur and decamped with gold jewelry and other valuables worth Rs.10 lakh.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 20, 1991
