Highway Robbery on Rise, Truckers under Threat

JEYPORE:The sudden rise in highway robbery on Kotpad-Koraput stretch of National Highway (NH) 26 has posed grave threat to the truckers plying on Raipur-Visakhapatnam route for daily business.

During the last two weeks, at least two robbery incidents near Borrigumma and three near Jeypore took place on the stretch. But, the police remain indifferent to the incidents.

On May 10, truckers were attacked and looted by a gang on Borrigumma-Jeypore stretch of the NH. Though the incident took place close to the local police station, it went unnoticed by the police. A day before, transporters were assaulted and robbed by unidentified miscreants in the same area.

The 70-km patch of the National Highway has become a crime hotspot for highway robbers. After facing frequent attacks and loot, transporters claimed that the place stood next to Durgapur in West Bengal in criminal activities.

Sources said a gang of seven to 10 members is active on the route for the last few months. Truckers of different States are their prime target.

Truck drivers alleged that the gang members come on four black colour bikes and attack them during wee hours when the trucks are parked on the NH. Though Koraput, Jeypore, Borrigumma and Kotpad police stations cover the areas along the NH, the truck staff, mostly from outside the State, are reluctant to report the incidents to police due to legal hassles.