Islampur, Jan. 9: Concerned over the spate of dacoities in this subdivision, the district police have turned to their counterparts in Bihar for help.

The gangs, most of who are suspected to be Bihar-based, have struck nearly 20 times in this border subdivision of North Dinajpur in the past two months, raiding two petrol pumps as well.

The latest incident occurred today around 8 pm when four motorcycle-borne youths decamped with Rs 1.25 lakh in cash and other items from a petrol pump at Aliganj, 3 km from Islampur. The staff members of the pump and a driver of a car, which had come to buy petrol, were assaulted when they tried to put up a resistance. Both of them have been hospitalised.

Rajendra Agarwal, the owner of the pump, said the youths robbed the cash box at gunpoint. The police have launched an extensive search operation.

Three incidents of robbery have been reported last Thursday and the day after.

On Friday night, a group of around 40 men raided four houses in the Goalpokhar police station area. Four persons were injured while trying to resist the gang.

The deputy inspector-general of police, Darjeeling Range, Anil Kumar, held a meeting last evening to discuss the law and order situation with the local business community.

?We have contacted the Bihar police. The police superintendent of Kishanganj, Ganesh Prasad Verma, has assured us that the gangs will be rounded up in joint raids,? said North Dinajpur police chief Asoke Kumar Dutta.

He said the subdivision was an easy target since it shared borders with Bihar, Nepal and Bangladesh.

?Since they are taking shelter in adjoining states and countries, it is very difficult for us to track them down,? said Dutta.

When contacted, sources at Kishanganj police station in Bihar refused to comment on whether the spate of armed robberies was a fall-out of the ensuing election in Bihar.

That the subdivision has become a soft target is also evident from the number of firearms seized from criminals here.

According to sources at the Islampur, Goalpokhar and Chopra areas, more than 40 firearms, including sophisticated 9-mm pistols, have been seized from arrested criminals and gang members.

With hardly any arrests made in connection with the recent spate of dacoities, traders here are feeling insecure, especially after the raid on potato merchant Shivaprasad Chowdhury?s house.

?By branding the gangs Bihar-based, the police are trying to shirk their responsibility,? said Damodar Agarwal, the secretary of Islampur Merchants? Association.