Sunderbans tourists shot at, looted by armed men

Armed men shot at and robbed tourists staying at a lodge in Sunderbans area of West Bengal in the wee hours on Sunday. Police later arrested seven members of the gang and recovered the stolen cash and valuables.

Armed men shot at and robbed tourists staying at a lodge in Sunderbans area of West Bengal in the wee hours on Sunday. Police later arrested seven members of the gang and recovered the stolen cash and valuables.

“Following a compliant we launched a search operation. Seven people have been arrested and we managed to seize all the stolen items,” said Praveen Tripathi SP South 24 Parganas.

“It is the responsibility of the tourist lodge. They should have kept private security. I have spoken to the police superintendent and stringent action will be taken,” said Bratya Basu, West Bengal tourism minister.

Sudipto Thakur, 45, — who went to spend a weekend at the Piyali Island in the Sunderbans —received severe bullet injuries on his left and right shoulder, on his back and on the right elbow. He is under treatment, in a critical condition, at a hospital in Kolkata.

The gang had taken around Rs 50,000 cash from four families staying at the lodge and Rs 25,000 from the cash box of the lodge.

“Around 1:30am I heard a noise and noticed miscreants climbing up a pipe to reach the adjacent room where our friend Mihir Mukherjee was staying with his wife. I called my husband and he came to raise an alarm. The miscreants reached our verandah and looted around Rs 10,000 from us and when my husband tried to stop them they shot him,” said Sanghamitra Ghosh Thakur, one of the tourists.