Maoist Attack in Sitamarhi; Bank Looted
Patna: Mar. 31, 2007
Over 500 heavily armed Maoist terrorists in the small town of Riga in Sitamarhi district on Saturday afternoon seized a bank and opened hundreds of rounds of fire on a police station killing one Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) jawan while getting away with an undisclosed amount of money.
As reported, hundreds of Naxal terrorists including many women, arrived at Riga in trucks and tractors and after seizing the banks at gun points, shot the assistant manager of a Central Bank of India branch before plundering the entire place.
The bank officer was later taken to a local hospital in Sitamarhi where he continues to battle for his life. Doctors described his condition as 'critical'.
More than a thousand rounds were fired between the terrorists and the police but that gave enough opportunity to the criminals to rob the bank and escape with several lakh rupees.
While escaping, the Maoists also blew up a small bridge in Maniari, reports said.
Unconfirmed sources also said that at least three other bank employees were shot by the criminals but police was unable to verify it due to break in communication between Sitamarhi and Riga, the police said.
The criminals, in all likelihood, entered from Nepal to loot money and police stations to replenish their arms supply, a senior police official in Patna said.
Several backup contingents have been rushed from nearby areas and security has been heightened at the Indo-Nepal border, Director General of Police Ashish Ranjan Sinha said.
|
