The three men who attacked a fuel station at Mukkom and grabbed ₹10,000 from an attendant on Friday night are still at large even as the police have launched an intensified search. CCTV visuals have been collected from multiple locations as part of efforts to identify the suspects who are reportedly part of an inter-State gang of highway robbers.
Though the police on Saturday took into custody two suspected local youths in connection with the incident, they were let off after interrogation. Police sources said the youths were released after tracing details of a Tamil Nadu vehicle which was reportedly used by the three attackers to reach the spot.
Details of the suspects involved in a similar incident at Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu have been collected as part of the investigation. According to the police, there are some similarities in executing the robbery in CCTV visuals collected from the two crime spots.
In the wake of the latest attack, functionaries of the Federation of Petroleum Dealers have appealed to the District Police Chief (Kozhikode City) to adopt measures to ensure the safety of workers at fuel dispensing outlets at night. They also sought a special law to prevent attacks against fuel station workers. With increasing number of attacks, many workers were unwilling to take up night shifts, they said.
