With the arrest of four people, including the kingpin, the Ghaziabad Police on Monday busted a gang of robbers who had allegedly robbed a Ghaziabad jeweller of worth Rs 2 crore on November 14. Police have also recovered some cash, jewellery, weapons and bikes used in the crime from their possession. One of the accused is the son of an excise inspector.
The four apparently confessed to committing the robbery at gun point. Another member of the gang is still at large, the officer said.
The accused have been identified as Arush alias Malik a resident of Rajendra Nagar in Ghaziabad, Manoj Pandey a resident of district Kaushambhi in UP presently living in Azadpur Mandi Delhi, Vineet a resident of Chitsona Alipur, Bulandshahr and Yogendra a resident of Amroha. Whereas the fifth robber identified as Naveen Pandit is still absconding.
According to Additional Director General of Uttar Pradesh police (Meerut division) Prashant Kumar, on November 14 five robbers on gunpoint robbed Prem Jewellers in Sahibabad with jewelry cash and precious stones worth about Rs 2 crore.
"A complaint was registered and acting on the incident the police strengthened its intelligence network. Police team got specific inputs regarding the accused involved in crime who will assemble at Mohan Nagar on December 10 following which a trap was laid and the accused were apprehended," said the ADGP.
"During interrogation the accused revealed that Arush is the kingpin of the gang and had committed over a dozen dacoities in the past. Earlier, he had robbed a jeweller in Geeta Colony in Delhi which is said to be worth Rs 3 crore," said the ADGP.
"During screening of his crime record the accused Arush was found involved in six criminal cases in Delhi and others cities. Arush during interrogation revealed that he met Manoj Pandey in Dasna jail when he was in jail in Rawalpindi robbery case and Manoj was in jail in a kidnapping case of Loni. The duo to mint easy money hatched a plan to rob a big jewellery shop," said Kumar. "To make their plan successful of robbing a jewellery shop they formed a gang with Vineet, Yogendra and Naveen Pandit. To evade police arrest the accused also stole two bikes from a Noida and Delhi. After robbing Prem Jewellers the accused sold the jewellery to a jeweler who instantly melted the gold and paid them in cash," the ADGP said.
"The police have recovered Rs 3.48 lakh cash and precious stones worth over Rs 4.06 lakh. The police further recovered two motorcycles, two country made pistols of .32 bore, two country made pistols of 315 bore with live cartridges and shirts which they wore on the crime committing day through which they were recognized by the victims," the ADGP added.