Keonjhar: In a brazen daylight robbery, two panchayat officials in Odisha’s Keonjhar district were allegedly held at gunpoint and robbed of Rs 8.18 lakh on Monday.
The victims were identified as Panchayat Executive Officer (PEO) Tushar Soren and Assistant Development Officer (ADO)/Assistant Development Extension Officer (ADEO) Abhimanyu Sahu of Bauripada Panchayat.
According to sources, the officials withdrew the cash, intended for disbursement as assistance to beneficiaries, from a bank around 9:45–10 am, and were returning to the panchayat office on a scooter when three unidentified motorcycle-borne miscreants intercepted them near Mukuna Bazaar under Sadar police limits. “We left the bank at 10 am. Three miscreants pulled out a gun to threaten us and snatched the two bags filled with cash,” the ADO told a local news channel.
The PEO also recalled the trio locking their scooter and taking away their keys.
The duo immediately alerted the Block Development Officer (BDO) Binod Panda and sarpanch of Bauripada Panchayat. “We have filed an FIR and have sought further details from the bank,” the BDO told the media.
Panda, however, criticised the officials for carrying a large sum in cash instead of opting for digital payment methods. Questions are also being raised on why police escort was not sought for the transaction.
