Rautahat, February 20:

A gang of 30-35 armed dacoits looted cash and goods worth Rs 1 million from 62 households situated at ward numbers 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of Bagahi VDC of Rautahat last night. Four persons were injured while resisting the dacoits.

The dacoits looted 62 houses including those of Satya Narayan Chaudhari, Tej Narayan Chaudhari, Ganesh Chaudhari, Bimal Chaudhari, Pralhad Shah, Ram Dev Shah, Raghu Nath Yadav, Jagannath Yadav, Phulchan Das, Dorik Das, Jarnail Miyan, Rajak Miyan, Kapil Dev Raut, Bhuwali Hajra, Bidhya Shah, Ram Bilash Shah, Ram Ashre Shah, Mohan Chaudhari, Loha Singh, Nanda Lal Raut, Ram Lal Shah and Rupa Thakur, District Secretary of CPN-UML, Rajuddin Alam said.

The dacoits overpowered those present in the houses, victims said. Ram Lal Shah, Nanda Lal Raut, Binda Jaiswal and Rupa Thakur were injured by the dacoits. They are undergoing treatment at Primary Health Centre at Katahariya. According to a local resident Alam, police were informed of the lootings but they did not reach the site till late afternoon today.

SP Keshav Prasad Adhikari of District Police Office said a police team from the Area Police Office, Garuda, has been sent to the site and details of the lootings have not been got.

Meanwhile, an unidentified gang vandalised an ambulance carrying a patient from Chandranigahapur to Birgunj for treatment and looted cash and goods from those in the ambulance near Nijgadh VDC along Mahendra Highway yesterday, the Area Police Office APO), Nijgadh said.

Driver Buddha Magar said the group beat him and helper Tirtha Lal Chaudhari up and also looted Rs 25,000 and a wristwatch.

Inspector of Area Police Office, Nijgadh, Ram Kamal Acharya said search for the looters and investigation into the incident is going on.