Unidentified armed miscreants beat up four businessmen after stopping their car on National Highway 41 near Mecheda in East Midnapore and fled with Rs 42 lakh from them.
Police arrested the driver of the car in which the businessmen were travelling considering that he was also involved with the miscreants.
A police officer said after speaking to the businessmen from Patashpur in East Midnapore district that the incident took place when they were returning from Habra in North 24 Parganas. The wholesale rice traders – Nandalal Jana, Ajay Mondal, Chaitanya Khatua and Lakshmikanta Jana — went to Habra to collect money from the businessmen to whom they had supplied rice.
On their way back home at around 1 am on Tuesday, the traders saw the miscreants on motorbikes overtaking the car. They stopped their two-wheelers in front of the car and forced them to come out.
The situation worsened when they asked them to give all their money. The miscreants did not pay any heed when the businessmen tried to distract them by saying that they did not have any money. They started abusing and beating up the businessmen. The miscreants carried sharp weapons and threatened to kill the businessmen when they tried to attract notice of the drivers of other vehicles passing by.
When some of the miscreants were manhandling the victims, a section of the group searched inside the car and found the cash in three separate bags.
They left the place after getting the money. But before leaving the spot, they damaged the vehicle badly so that the businessmen could not chase them.
During the entire incident, the driver of the car, Shibnath Jana, remained a mere spectator. The businessmen's suspicion over the driver grew stronger when they felt that he had purposely
slowed the car when the miscreants approached them from behind. Moreover, he could have easily contacted the police when the incident was going on. But he did not take any step. The police have arrested the driver and have begun to question him.