Sept. 15: Two employees of a liquor shop were waylaid by bike-borne thugs and robbed of Rs 4 lakh at gunpoint in New Guwahati this afternoon.

Atul Deka and Dharmajeet Khaklary, who work at DA Wine Shop on Zoo-Narengi Road, were on their way to the Noonmati branch of State Bank of India to deposit the money in their employers’ account.

Their autorickshaw had just reached Ganesh Temple in New Guwahati — just a few metres from their destination — when the two robbers blocked their path.

“Deka and Khaklary told us that one of the youths on the bike pointed a pistol and asked them to hand over the cash. They did not dare resist. After snatching the bag, the youths fled,” a police officer said.

Passersby did not dare intervene since the youths were brandishing the pistol.

On the basis of a complaint lodged by the proprietor of the wine shop, Zakir Anwar, a case was registered at Noonmati police station under Section 392 IPC.

The daylight robbery became the point of much debate in New Guwahati for the rest of the day, with residents alleging that snatch-and-run incidents in the city, particularly near banks and ATM counters, were on the rise.

The police’s job just became more difficult with the two shop employees being unable to provide any description of the robbers.

“All that they could say was that the robbers were on a Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle and were tailing their autorickshaw,” a police officer said.

“A probe has begun. We are looking for clues to identify and track down the culprits,” he added.

“The miscreants seemed to have prior information that the two employees were going to the bank at that time to deposit the money. The possibility of an insider’s involvement cannot be ruled out,” the officer said.

“We are doing our best and hope to solve the case soon,” he added.

Several well-organised gangs of snatchers with inter-state connections operate in the city near banks, ATM counters, busy marketplaces, railway stations and bus terminuses, the residents claimed.