The Kapurthala police’s failure in cracking robbery incidents in Phagwara is also is also been seen as the reason behind the transfer of Kapurthala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Dhanpreet Kaur and Phagwara SP Gursewak Singh Brar.
The bid to loot an ATM on Wednesday also brought to the fore the lax attitude of the Phagwara police, forcing the state home minister to take action in this connection.
Senior officials of Jalandhar range have also expressed worry over the rise in crime in Phagwara and are in touch with the police headquarters.
Five major robberies occurred within two months on the Jalandhar-Delhi highway in the town and the police are yet to make any headway in cases.
On November 13 last year, three armed men looted `41000 at gunpoint from a liquor shop owner near Urban Estate in Phagwara.
Five days later, a Maruti Swift was snatched at gunpoint near Chak Hakim village by two persons who were travelling in a Mahindra Bolero with red beacon atop it and signalled the victims to stop their vehicle for checking by introducing themselves as CIA staff.
On December 12, four persons looted ornaments worth `25 lakh from a jewellery shop at Hargobind Nagar in Phagwara.
On December 29, an Innova car was looted on the national highway near Chak Hakim village in Phagwara by three miscreants on the pretext to hire a taxi.
On December 12, four persons looted ornaments worth `25 lakh from a jewellery shop at Hargobind Nagar in Phagwara.
On December 29, an Innova car was looted on the national highway near Chak Hakim village in Phagwara by three miscreants on the pretext to hire a taxi.
Since the police were busy investigating the earlier robberies, another daring robbery incident occurred in broad daylight, in which four armed men looted `50 lakh from the employees of a cash replenishing van outside an ATM at Hargobind Nagar in Phagwara on January 9. This incident put the officials on the back foot.
On Wednesday night, unidentified persons unsuccessfully tried to loot an ATM of ICICI Bank in Kapurthala.