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One person was killed and two others, including a security personnel, were injured on Wednesday when unidentified miscreants opened fire at a vehicle carrying cash in new currency notes for wage payment to employees of a tea garden in Assam’s Tinsukia district, police said.
A vehicle carrying cash, withdrawn from a bank on Tuesday evening and kept in a police station in the night, was going to Pengeri Tea estate when it was fired upon by unidentified miscreants at Digboi killing the driver on the spot.
A tea garden employee and a security personnel also suffered injuries in the attack and have been admitted to the Assam Medical College Hospital.
The driver has been identified as Abhijeet Paul.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned the incident and announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and directed the Tinsukia district administration as well as the AMCH authorities to ensure the best treatment to the injured.
The chief minister also directed Industry Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary to visit the spot and take stock of the situation, an official release said.
Sonowal also directed Director General of Police Mukesh Sahay to institute an inquiry into the incident and arrest the culprits at the earliest.
Meanwhile, two persons were arrested in Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district on Wednesday for allegedly misappropriating over Rs 22 lakh, meant to be deposited in various ATMs in the district headquarters, officials said.
The two persons were entrusted by a private cash service agency to refill the ATMs, but when an internal audit detected the shortfall, an FIR was lodged and they were arrested, they said.
Debasish Mondal of the agency lodged a complaint with the police that on November 8, 9 and 10, there was a shortfall of Rs 22,06,800 in various ATMs in Tura. These ATMs were entrusted to Amit Dalu and Rupon Das.
"We have arrested the two persons based on an FIR lodged with the police," a senior police officer said.
Both were in police custody for further interrogation, but the cash was yet to be recovered, they added.
Promising to exchange notes, 2 extort man of Rs 50 lakh
In Hyderabad, two persons, one of them posing as a policeman, allegedly extorted Rs 50 lakh in demonetised currency notes from a man in Rajendra Nagar area, police said on Wednesday.
The man from whom the money was looted is a friend of a businessman, police said.
A middleman promised the complainant that he would arrange for exchange of Rs 50 lakh in old currency notes outside the banking system.
Police said that for the promised exchange, the middleman asked the complainant to take Rs 50 lakh in old currency notes in the latter’s four-wheeler from Secunderabad to Attapur area on Tuesday night.
On the way, two persons on a motorbike followed the four-wheeler and once it reached at an isolated place, they overtook the car and stopped it.
“They demanded from him to show the ID proof, and questioned him on the huge amount of cash he was carrying,” Assistant Commissioner of Police (Rajendra Nagar Division) K Ganga Reddy said.
“They further threatened him that 200 per cent penalty will be imposed on him. Besides, a case will be filed against him and asked him to give the cash bag to them and leave the place. When he resisted, the duo snatched away the bag and fled,” the ACP said based on the complaint.
“One of the bike-borne persons told the victim that he is a police constable and checked the four-wheeler and took away the cash bag,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shamshabad Zone) P V Padmaja said.
A case under Indian Penal Code Section 384 (extortion) was filed and further investigation was on to nab the accused, she said.
The DCP appealed to the citizens not to fall into the trap of such rackets which claim of changing the old currency notes with new ones outside the banking system.
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