Shillong, Feb 7: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday assured that overall surveillance will be strengthened and action will be taken against the miscreants involved in looting petrol pumps at gunpoint.

When asked on the measures being taken to prevent robbery in petrol pumps, which are becoming easy targets for miscreants, Sangma said that it is the nature of every shop to have cash so there cannot be specific plan or programme for all petrol pumps because the government may also have to look at other businesses.

“We are vigil about these aspects and in general we will strengthen the overall surveillance and ensure that proper action is taken especially against those people who are involved in the robbery,” he told reporters.

Two such incidents have occurred within a month, the first incident on January 7, and the fresh incidents took place at two petrol pumps in Shillong on Saturday night.

The armed miscreants first went to the petrol pump at Assam Auto Agency near Shopping Mall Pantaloons.

According to workers of the pump, two armed men came straight to the cash counter and took away cash around Rs 2.8 lakh at gunpoint. The miscreants came on a motorbike.

In a similar incident on the same night, two armed miscreants had also attempted to rob from the petrol pump at Nongrim Hills.

The miscreants, in the same way, went straight to the cash counter looking for cash. However they left the place after they could not find any money.

Whether the incidents are linked to militancy, the chief minister however said, “Right now it is a robbery so we are investigating what is the other side of it but as I said this kind of robbery should not happen but yes sometimes they do happen.”

On the easy availability of arms, Sangma said that investigation is still on but it is not easy for people to get guns.

Meanwhile, the chief minister has maintained that the tendency to link the robbery incident to the law and order situation in the state is “unfair”.

“There are robbery incidents that take place in different parts of the state, there are other incidents that take place all over so this tendency to link the incident to the law and order situation in the state is unfair,” he said.