Jharkhand: Two PNB-affiliated customer service centres robbed within 3 hours in Palamu
Daltonganj, June 26: Palamu police were caught almost unawares after two rustic-looking miscreants carried out well-planned robberies at two roadside financial facilitation…
Daltonganj, June 26: Palamu police were caught almost unawares after two rustic-looking miscreants carried out well-planned robberies at two roadside financial facilitation centres, locally known as customer service points (CSPs), in broad daylight on Thursday, June 25.
The robbers executed both crimes with precision and escaped without alerting the police.
The two customer service points, both affiliated with Punjab National Bank (PNB), were located under different police stations within the Lesliganj police subdivision of Palamu district.
The first robbery took place at a customer service point in Tetrain under the Panki police station limits, while the second occurred at Semri under the Manatu police station limits.
The two incidents were separated by nearly three hours. Although the distance between Tetrain and Semri is about 33 km by road, a local resident said the jungle route is around 5 km shorter.
₹50,000 Looted at Tetrain CSP
Two miscreants, one armed with a country-made pistol, looted around ₹50,000 from the customer service point at Tetrain market under the Panki police station limits at around 12.40 pm on Thursday.
According to sources, both men had covered their faces, with one partially covering his face. They held the CSP operator at gunpoint before fleeing with the cash on a motorcycle parked some distance away.
CCTV cameras installed nearby captured images of the two accused.
Officer-in-Charge of Panki Police Station Deepak Kumar Singh said, “This customer service point is affiliated with the PNB Basdeeha branch.”
He added, “The cash robbed is estimated to be around ₹50,000, as per the initial assessment made by the customer service point owner, Ravinder.”
“The miscreants did not harm or injure Ravinder,” the police officer said.
Second Robbery at Semri; ₹1.6 Lakh Stolen
The second robbery occurred at 3.17 pm at a customer service point in Semri under the Manatu police station limits.
Police said two miscreants looted cash amounting to ₹1.6 lakh from the centre, which is operated by Mukesh Kumar from a rented room.
Police Probe Possible Link Between Both Incidents
SDPO Lesliganj Prashant Kumar No. 2 (official name) said, “Police have begun investigating whether these two identical robberies at customer service points were committed by the same two miscreants who first struck at Tetrain.”
He further said, “The Tetrain incident occurred at 12.40 pm, but the owner informed the police only around 3 pm.”
Police said the delayed reporting affected the initial response.
On the investigation, the SDPO said, “Police are in an advantageous position in the Tetrain case because CCTV footage of the two miscreants is available. However, there was no CCTV camera installed near the Semri customer service point.”
Blurred Number Plate Raises Suspicion
Police said the accused used a motorcycle with a blurred registration number in both incidents, indicating that the number plate may have been fake or that the vehicle could have been stolen.
Panki and Manatu police have launched a massive manhunt to trace the accused.
As Manatu borders Chatra district, police suspect the miscreants may attempt to take shelter there to evade arrest.
