A liquor shop in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 16: Liquor shop owners are the latest targets of goons in the twin cities.

In less than a month, in two separate incidents cash worth more than Rs 6 lakh has been looted at gunpoint from liquor traders in the state capital.

In the latest incident on December 1, criminals snatched a bag containing Rs 4 lakh from B.N. Mishra, the owner of a liquor shop in Acharya Vihar. Mishra was on his way to deposit the cash at a nationalised branch in Shastri Nagar when he was looted.

“I was on my motorcycle when two goons intercepted me and looted the cash at gunpoint. I was on my way to deposit the money in a bank,” said Swain.

Sources said the daily turnover of a liquor shop in the city ranges between Rs 60,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh.

“While smaller shops earn Rs 60,000 on a daily basis, the shops located in posh areas earn at least Rs 1.5 lakh,” said a liquor shop owner.

Khurda district has 74 foreign liquor off shops and 25 on shops. Police said the liquor shop owners and employees were becoming soft targets as they carry huge amount of cash with them after closing the shops.

“While a number of liquor shop owners carry cash to the banks twice a day, there are others who take back their entire collection home after closing their shops. So they are easy targets for goons,” said a police official.

In an incident on November 23, criminals not only looted cash worth Rs 2.2 lakh and some valuables from Amaresh Patnaik, a shop owner, but also left him with a fractured leg and hit him with the butt of a pistol. “I was afraid that they would kill me if I resisted,” said Patnaik.

Almost all the victims gave identical description of the criminals involved in these incidents. “In most of these incidents, two motorcycle-borne youths intercept victims and loot them at gunpoint. I suspect the involvement of a particular gang,” said owner of Kachapani beer parlour Bablu Prasad, who luckily escaped from the clutches of the gang on December 7.

Prasad’s SUV was intercepted near Bhoi Shahi in Nayapalli around 10.45pm. Two men stopped his vehicle and tried to frighten him by pointing their guns at him, but he managed to give them a slip. They chased him for some time, but they fell down when their motorcycle skidded and hit his vehicle. The police have seized the motorcycle.

Deputy commissioner of police Satyabrata Bhoi said the goons had been identified and would be nabbed shortly. “We will convene a meeting with liquor shop owners and issue a set of guidelines for them,” said Bhoi. The police also suspect the involvement of insiders in these crimes. “In the recent past, we had found that insiders have a hand in the jewellery shop loot incidents. The same cannot be ruled out in these cases,” said a cop.

SERIES OF ATTACKS

Sept. 4: Four goons chased manager of VSS Nagar foreign liquor shop Debraj Panigrahi. The goons hit his two-wheeler near Satsang Vihar, but later fled

Nov. 23: Goons looted Rs 2.2 lakh in cash and other valuables from Amaresh Patnaik, owner of Chidananda Wine Shop at gunpoint near Satsang Vihar

Dec. 1: Goons looted Rs 4 lakh in cash from B.N. Mishra, owner of liquor shop at Acharya Vihar at gunpoint

Dec 7: Loot bid foiled after Bablu Prasad, owner of Kachapani beer parlour near Bhoi Sahi, drove past armed goons who tried to stop him