Ranchi: In a coordinated series of late-night attacks, a gang of bike-borne criminals targeted multiple petrol pumps and local establishments across Ranchi on Tuesday, triggering concern over security in the city’s outskirts.According to police, the bike-borne criminals first struck the Dream Point petrol pump in the Chuttu area near Ranchi Ring Road, looting Rs 2,17,130. Notably, the same fuel station had been targeted in a similar manner in June 2021, when around Rs 85,000 was stolen, said manager Chandan Sarmah.The gang then moved to the Shubham Shilpi Petrol Pump near BIT Mesra, where they looted Rs 2,000 in cash and refueled their motorcycle with petrol worth Rs 1,000. Both incidents occurred under the jurisdiction of the BIT Mesra outpost.Outpost in-charge Ajay Kumar Das said the first robbery took place between 12 and 12:10 am, followed by the second at around 12:20 am.“CCTV footage shows three masked men arriving on a motorcycle, with two others approaching on foot. They threatened the staff, chased them to the cash counter, and looted the money. The two men on foot probably came in a car which cannot be seen in the CCTV,” Das said.Continuing their spree, the gang headed towards Ormanjhi, where they robbed a betel shop of Rs 6,000 at around 1:15 am. During the incident, the shopkeeper was injured with a sharp weapon.The attackers then proceeded to Tatisilwai, where they targeted a GAIL CNG petrol pump, looting Rs 12,000 before fleeing the scene. Police teams are now examining CCTV footage and gathering clues to identify and apprehend the culprits.Officers from both Ormanjhi and Tatisilwai police stations suspect that the same gang was behind all the incidents. “Though verification is underway, the appearance of the suspects in the CCTV footage across locations looks similar,” said Ormanjhi police station in-charge S B Chaudhury.In response to the incidents, police have stepped up late-night patrolling in the outskirts and intensified their investigation. Ranchi (rural) SP Praveen Pushkar said, “Teams have been deployed to establish the identities of the criminals so they can be arrested soon.”In the past three days alone, four such petrol pump robberies have been reported, raising serious concerns over security in the region.Meanwhile, South Chotanagpur petroleum dealers association has demanded police security at fuel stations at night. Rajhans Mishra, president of the association, said, “The repeated loots at fuel stations have panicked all dealers. So we demanded district administration and police to increase security otherwise we will be compelled to shut the stations at night.”
