Sambalpur: Police on the wee hours of Sunday recovered a mutilated body of a truck driver from the vehicle on National Highway-10 near a petrol pump in between Jampali and Kunmuru main road under Rajgangpur police limits in Sundargarh district.
Preliminary police probe revealed it was a well-sketched murder by highway looters who target lone drivers and pedestrians at night for money, mobile phones, battery, diesel, and even loot their vehicles.
The rise in such bone-chilling incidents has become a matter of concern in the area with cops failing to bust the racket. With no action from the cops, the looters’ gang has been on a killing spree in the area with a couple of persons killed since the last few months.
According to police, Rabi Toppo of Banthupada village near Rajgangpur town works as a mini-truck driver in Jharsuguda. Saturday, he filled oil and visited his village after parking the vehicle (OD-14-K-1546) on the National Highway.
Early Sunday morning, he went to the vehicle only to find its battery missing. Later, he came across another truck driver who also complained of his vehicle battery being stolen. However, the looters had failed to loot the oil from both the vehicles.
A few metres away, they spotted another truck on the Highway and went to ask its driver if he knew anything or had seen something. However, they were astounded to see a dead body inside the vehicle and soon alerted other locals who assembled there and informed the cops.
On receipt of the information, police reached the spot and launched a probe. During probe, cops learnt that the coal-laden vehicle was en route to Rourkela Friday night. However, the vehicle was chased by looters midnight who strangled the driver to death before fleeing with his mobile, money, diesel and the vehicle’s battery.
Police seized the body and sent it for autopsy while a further probe was on.
According to sources, highway looters are ganging up at Kansabahal, Ramabahal, Ranibandh, Jamapali, Jharbeda and Ranchi road area on the National Highway-10 that falls under Rajgangpur and Kutra police stations.
The looters mostly target bikers, pedestrians and vehicle drivers at nights and loot them at gun-point. They mercilessly kill whoever tries to protest, locals said. Repeated incidents of attack and loot have spread a sense of panic in the area with locals refraining from coming outdoors after sunset.
On the other hand, the local police have miserably failed to trace the whereabouts of the looters’ gang despite repeated complaints of loot, attack and murder, it is alleged. Expressing resentment, locals demanded cops to intensify night patrolling in the area and immediate arrest of the looters’ gang members.
PNN