An armed guard of a cash van was shot dead in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district on Wednesday while trying to stop robbers from looting an ATM.

The incident occurred around 2pm at a State Bank of India ATM at Rupai Siding along NH 52, about 2km from Doomdooma police station.

Van driver Balin Barua said, “We arrived from Tinsukia with cash for the ATM around 2pm. Two custodians, Gupen Neog and Pankaj Gohain, went inside to load the money. Two guards, Prabhat Goswami and Semu Borgohain, stood outside. Suddenly, a gang of four wearing helmets came from Kakopathar side. They tried to enter the ATM. When we resisted, one of them fired at Borgohain in the chest. He returned fire, which hit one of the miscreants.”

Goswami, who was not armed, said, “The robber’s body was lying in a pool of blood when five armed, bike-borne miscreants came and took him away. It seems someone had informed them or they were following us.”

On being informed, a police team rushed to the spot and sent Borgohain to Doomdooma first referral unit where the doctors declared him brought dead. Borgohain hailed from Patipathar village in Sadiya subdivision.

A senior police officer said, “We have registered a case and started investigations. Borgohain’s body was sent for post-mortem. We have started combing operations and will apprehend the culprits soon. We recovered an empty cartridge from the site, a red Scooty without number plate, two daggers and two hammers. Another bike was found abandoned at Rajagarh, a few kilometres from the site.”

As it was Saraswati Puja, school and college students were moving in the area. They rushed to safety during the exchange of fire.