Accident prevents robbers from fleeing with Rs 1.5cr, one held

Vadodara, Apr 18 (UNI) A dacoit was caught by the public and gold ornaments, worth around Rs 1.50 crore, were recovered when a six-member gang from Uttar Pradesh met with an accident with a bicyclist while fleeing after looting a jewellery shop in the Alkapuri area here today.

The other five members of the gang, however, managed to escape in the melee.

The public got hold of one Mohit Choudhury even as he fired two rounds to scare them. No one was injured in the shoot out.

Police have recovered five country-made revolvers, 23 live cartridges, one mobile and gold ornaments worth about Rs 1.5 crore from the car, used by the gang to loot the jewellery showroom.

Preliminary interrogation of Mohit Choudhury, a native of Bulandsahar in Uttar Pradesh, revealed that the gang had arrived in the city only last night after stealing the car from Surat. The six checked into a local hotel at Alkapuri to execute the loot of the jewellery showroom today. All the six members of the gang were from Uttar Pradesh and armed with country-made revolvers.

The gang stormed into the jwellery showroom today and looted gold and other jewellery worth about Rs 1.5 crore at gun point. While fleeing with the booty in the car, they met with an accident with a bicyclist and were mobbed by the public.

Barring Mohit Choudhury, all the other members of the gang fled from the spot leaving three country-made revolvers and the booty in the vehicle.

The people later handed him over to the Fatehganj police along with his weapon. Police also recovered another revolver, which the gang had dropped while looting the showroom.

A manhunt has been launched to nab the robbers, the sources said.

UNI SS MAZ SC PM0051