Dehradun Police is still clueless about the armed robbery at a jewellery shop in broad daylight in a busy area of the State capital on Wednesday. Three armed criminals had looted Vrindavan Jewellery Shop, Teg Bahadur Road near Rispana Bridge under Dalanwala Police Station area at gunpoint in broad daylight and decamped with around 340 grams gold worth lakh of rupees. Police are working on several angles to solve the case.
Special Operation Group (SOG) team and other police teams have been sent to western Uttar Pradesh in search of the suspects. The incident occurred at around 10 am on Wednesday when the shop owner was praying after opening the shop. Irked by this incident and deteriorating law and order condition in the city, the local residents had blocked the road raising slogans against the police department and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.
The residents alleged that crime cases in the city have been increasing for the last many days while the police are clueless and unable to put a check on crimes which has resulted in the people feeling insecure. The residents also criticised the police's City Patrol Unit for focusing more on penalising vehicle users for traffic violations instead of responding swiftly to crimes in the city.
Critics are of their opinion that crimes like robbery, chain snatching, burglaries and other offences have increased during the last few days in the State capital though, ADGP Ram Singh Meena and DIG Garhwal Range Amit Sinha had directed the district police to initiate effective measures to put a check on crimes. The CPU was formed to respond swiftly to crimes like chain snatching, eve teasing and other offences in Dehradun but this unit is busy in imposing challans which has not instilled the fear of the law among criminals who still escape conveniently after committing varied crimes in different areas of the city.
With beat policing failing to establish network and lack of police patrolling at important places, criminals continue to evade the authorities after committing crimes. Police also face pressure from interfering bureaucratic or political executives which affects police efficiency.
After the loot on Wednesday, the Dehradun SSP Ajay Rautela and other police officers reached the incident site and took stock of the situation. The SSP directed police officers to take measures for preventing repeat of such cases apart from solving this case without delay.
Dalanwala police station in-charge AK Joshi said that in his complaint, Ankush Verma, owner of the Vrindavan Jewellery Shop said that three persons on a bike reached the jewellery shop and two of them entered the shop looting it of about 340 grams gold. A case under Section 392 of IPC was registered in the Dalanwala police station. Two teams have been formed by the police to search for the culprits.
Earlier, the previous Dehradun SSP Kewal Khurana had directed jewellery shop owners in Dehradun to install CCTV cameras in their shops. But, as per the information, CCTV camera in the Vrindavan jewellery shop was not functional. "I will soon direct all the jewellery shop owners to install CCTV camera so if culprits commit such offence could be apprehended without delay," Rautela added.