The gang leisurely looted over half a dozen houses in Belha village-3 of Siraha and killed Suresh Kumar Sah, 16, the owner of Riddisiddhi Jewelry Shop, who joined other villagers to retaliate against the robbery. [break]
Locals say the gang took Shah away from the villagers and killed him by shooting on his head and brutally slicing him with a sharp knife. Irate locals say police, posted barely 200 meters from the crime scene, did not arrive even as they repeatedly called for help.
The fact that the police failed to reach the crime scene even two hours after the robbery proves their involvement, said Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Lahan, in a statement issued on Thursday. The Lahan FNCCI has written to the prime minister, the home minister and the inspector general of police (IGP) seeking legal action against the in-charge of Belha police post and the local administration.
The local police reached the crime scene only after the dacoits fled. Irate villagers chased away the police for not helping the locals. They even went on to stage a demonstration in front of Belha police post. They burnt tires and shouted slogans against the police.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Lal Karna, Chief of Siraha district police, has tried to defend the local police, saying that the local police indeed attempted to arrest the thugs but they ran away by detonating a bomb. According to SP Karna, police have sealed all the check points on the Nepal-India border.
Altogether 12 policemen led by Assistant Sub Inspector Ganesh Das Tatma were on duty in the Belha police post when the incident took place. The locals had to retaliate against the dacoits as police failed to turn up despite several phone calls.
Hearing the dacoits exploding bombs, locals in Siraha municipality, some six kilometers from Belha-3, woke up in the midnight but the local police did not arrive. “We had no weapons. We retaliated only with bamboo batons in our hands,” says Shiva Nath Sah, a local who was injured in the attack. “We could not stop them.”
According to Raghu Bir Sah, a local, the dacoits looted cash and jewelry worth Rs 1000,000. Altogether 12 local villagers, including two children, were injured in the attack. Two of the injured, Pramod Sah and Chandri Sah, have been rushed to Dharan for treatment.
Belha police post chief held
Belha police post in-charge Ganesh Das Tatma, who failed to foil the robbery in spite of being on duty just 200 meters away, has been taken under control for inquiry, according to Siraha police chief Karna. Karna said action would be taken against Tatma if found guilty.
Meanwhile, Chief District Officer (CDO) of Siraha Narayan Prasad Bidari has set up a committee led by Assistant CDO Kishor Chaudhari to probe into the alleged involvement of local police in the robbery.
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