Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
A mystery hand appeared for mere seconds from under the counter and whisked away a box at a jewellery store in Maharashtra, while other members of the con gang distracted the salespeople, CCTV footage showed on Thursday. The gang, including four women wearing burqas and two men, took away 1.5-kg gold jewellery, estimated to be worth Rs 2 crore at least, from Vishwas Jewellers in the Shahganj area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. The gang members entered the showroom posing as customers at different times to avoid raising suspicion while carrying out a reconnaissance of the premises, police said.
The thieves’ act was not detected immediately but CCTV footage later gave some hints. This triggered an alert across the local police department, prompting senior officers, including the deputy commissioner of police, to inspect the crime scene. Law enforcement authorities are analysing the footage to identify the suspects, map their entry and exit routes, and track down their potential hideouts.
In the same week, in the neighbouring state of Gujarat, an attempted jewellery theft ended up in a whole different scenario.
When police in Gujarat’s Valsad district received an emergency call about a burglary attempt late on Wednesday, the person on the other end was one of the two thieves.
“Sir, we came to commit a theft, but people have pulled down the shutter. Please, save us,” said the man. A crowd had gathered outside, and the thieves feared they’d be thrashed, or worse, police said.
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The two men had broken into a shop, BJ Jewellers, in Sanjan village in Umargam sub-division, about 25 km from the town of Vapi. This area is often targeted as it is located at the cusp of Gujarat with Maharashtra, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman, which makes it easier for criminals to cross borders to escape the state police.
Dinesh Sonkar and Vipin Pathak’s plan did not quite work out, though.
When some locals grew suspicious that they had picked the lock to enter the shop, they pulled down the shop’s shutter, leaving the duo stranded inside. As the crowd outside grew, the thieves locked themselves in and eventually decided to dial 112 for the police helpline.
Men with sticks were trying to open the shutter when the cops arrived to rescue and arrest the two men. Police also seized some jewellery they’d gathered to take away and some tools they’d brought with them for the burglary.
