One of the posters in Jorhat. Telegraph picture

Jorhat, April 18: Posters of two thieves were put up at many places in Jorhat yesterday offering a Rs 1-lakh reward for providing information on the duo.

On the eve of Bihu last week, the two youths had tricked two employees of a shopping mall and snatched Rs 19.5 lakh from them.

The staff had gone to deposit the money at the Jorhat branch of the ICICI Bank in the afternoon. The photos of the two suspected persons had been taken from CCTV cameras installed inside the bank.

The shopping mall owners have decided to put up posters of the suspects in other towns of Upper Assam as well.

The posters ask those with any information of the suspects to contact the nearest police station or the office of the superintendent of police, Jorhat.

Many onlookers were observed taking pictures of the duo with their cell phones.

One onlooker said he had done so to verify the suspects in case he comes across youths having similar features.

“Getting Rs 1 lakh just by providing information about two criminals is great, provided my identity is kept secret,” the youth said.

Samir Roy, a media consultant of the Maxmart shopping mall chain, said posters had been put up according to the advice of the local police authorities.

Roy said the reward would be given through the police department.

He said so far 25 posters had been put up in Jorhat town and adjoining areas and more such posters would be put up in Upper Assam and Dimapur, as the police suspect that there was a possibility of the duo crossing the border and fleeing to Nagaland.

Jorhat superintendent of police Sanjukta Parasor said an investigation was on and police were conducting raids at different places in and outside the district.

She said the posters and hope of a reward might help in apprehending the duo.

Parasor said the identity of the person providing correct information about the suspects would be kept a secret.This is perhaps the first time in the state that a private business organisation has come forward to announce a reward to provide information on criminals, a senior police official said.