Robbers bungle strike,caught

A sophisticated pistol,a .12 bore gun and six live cartridges have been seized. The accused hail from Rajpura village in Jalandhar district,the police said.

The incident took place when jeep driver Suresh Kumar was returning from Ludhiana after unloading a cloth consignment of Nahar Factory in Dera Bassi. Kumar lives in Shekhpura Kalan village in Dera Bassi,

At Ludhiana bypass,two youths signalled him to stop and requested for a lift till Kharar. Kumar agreed. When they neared Santemajra village on the Kharar-Banur road,the youths asked him to stop the vehicle.

“As I stopped,one of them put a gun on my chest and asked me to shell out everything I had,” Kumar reportedly told the police.

But when he refused,Bohra pulled the trigger twice,but the gun misfired. Then Sodhi pushed Kumar outside the jeep and Bohra took over the wheels.

But they had barely gone 100-150 metres that the jeep broke down. Seeing the vehicle coming to a halt,Kumar ran towards it,shouting for help.

Incidentally,a police party was coming from the opposite side. Sensing trouble,the accused tried to flee but were nabbed.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were wanted in several cases in the state,the IO said.

Bohra faces five cases of dacoities in Phillaur and Gorainya,and a case of rape and assault is lodged against Sodhi at Phillaur.

Both have been charged with robbery and dacoity under sections 392,397 and 34 of the IPC and offences under sections 25,54 and 59 of the Arms Act.

Later,Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate K K Goel remanded them to three-day police custody.