Dhubri, April 25 : The robbery menace once again raised its head as 15 dacoits with arms from different places of Bongaigaon district were arrested by police in the last couple of days.
Besides targeting business houses and wealthy residents, the robbers also frequently attack night super buses and decamp with valuables.
Passengers travelling from Guwahati to Siliguri by night super bus either via Barpeta or Goalpara are the main victims.
Acting on a tip-off, CRPF and the police nabbed six robbers with a revolver and four rounds of ammunition, roaming in front of a bus stand near Chapaguri of Bongaigaon district on Friday.
On the other hand, the police from Nayagaon near Shivam Dhaba arrested nine robbers by NH 31 under Abhayapuri police station while they were making an attempt to rob the passengers of night super bus on Thursday.
The robbers succeeded in decamping with cash in one recent case at Chenikhowa under Abhayapuri police station.
This spate in robbery forced the Dhubri, Bongaigaon, Barpeta and Goalpara police to deploy mobile patrol units on national highways 31 and 37 from Bhawanipur of Barpeta district to Gouripur of Dhubri district and Agia to Naranarayan setu of Goalpara district to protect passengers travelling on night buses.
Three groups of dacoits operate along this 220km stretch from Bhawanipur of Barpeta to Chagolia of Dhubri district, targeting travellers at regular intervals.
A senior police official said the deployment of mobile patrol units would go a long way in checking highway robberies.
When contacted, Bongaigaon superintendent of police Nitul Gogoi said he was aware of the situation and was maintaining close vigilance.
