Dhubri, April 25: Dipankar Dev Boral, a government official, was robbed twice in recent times, despite his house being within stone-throwing distance of a police station.

Boral is the chief medical and health officer (family welfare) of in the joint directorate of health services in Dhubri.

Last night, robbers escaped with cash, gold ornaments and other valuables worth lakhs of rupees from Boral’s house in ward 1, opposite Raja Prabhat Chandra Barua Moidan, which was being guarded by an armed police picket. The Borals were at the fair at the maidan when the robbers struck.

“The padlock on the main door was broken and robbers took Rs 34,000 in cash, gold and silver ornaments and antique coins from the steel almirah. Furniture and other items were found scattered on the floor,” Boral said.

He said on August 8, 2006, robbers broke into their rented house at Chatiantola and escaped with Rs 5,000 in cash and gold ornaments worth Rs 1.5 lakh.

“I had filed a complaint, but after four to five months of inquiry I got fed up and closed the case. Police would come every now and then to our house for investigation. I have least faith in the police,” Boral said.

The robberies have exposed police failure to provide security to the people, residents alleged.

Sandip Chatterjee, also a resident of ward 1, said they had protested against theft and robbery when it was on the rise last year and the then superintendent of police Dipak Choudhury had formed a committee in wards 1 and 2 that liaisoned with the police.

“But after Choudhury’s transfer, cases of robbery have become active,” Chatterjee said. The residents also alleged that gambling was rampant and liquor flowed freely in the youth clubs in the area at night.

Robbers also tried to steal a pump machine from the backyard of a businessman’s house in broad daylight yesterday but were caught red-handed.

Dhubri town sub-inspector Rushtam Brahma said they had been investigating into the case but have made no breakthrough so far.

“The police are trying to break the network involved in thefts and robberies,” Brahma said.