4 get RI for life for loot, firing

BHADRAK: Four persons from Bihar were sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of looting nearly Rs 24 lakh from the employees of Central Bank of India and opening fire at the crowd that left two persons dead, four years back.On Tuesday, Additional District and Sessions Judge (Fast Track-II) of Bhadrak  Pradyumna Nayak sentenced Mohan Choudhury, Chandan Sharma, Amitabh Kumar and Chandra Mohan Jha to rigorous imprisonment for life. They all belong to Darbhanga, Patna, Dalmiyanpur and Hazipur of Bihar. However, 15 other accused in the case have been acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence. The miscreants had looted Rs 20.47 lakh cash and a cheque for ` 3.43 lakh from the employees of Central Bank of India, Bhadrak branch, while they were returning with the money from Bhadrak LIC office at Bonth Chhack in February 2007. The armed robbers had fired indiscriminately at the bank staff and the crowd before looting and fleeing on three motorbikes. Two persons, including a guard of the bank, were killed and four locals injured in the firing. The robbery was planned at Januganj Golai under Balasore Industrial Area police limits. Jha, kingpin of the robbery, had hired professional criminals from Bihar for the bank robbery, sources added.