Mohania/Patna: Three armed criminals allegedly carried out a daring daylight robbery at a jewellery shop in Bihar’s Kaimur district on Sunday, escaping with gold and silver ornaments worth approximately Rs 25 lakh, Rs 50,000 in cash and a mobile phone after threatening the shopkeeper at gunpoint.
The incident took place at Khushboo Jewellers in Bahuara, under the Mohania police station area, adjacent to National Highway 319.
According to police and eyewitness accounts, the robbery was executed in less than 10 minutes. The assailants allegedly fired shots while fleeing the scene before escaping on a black Apache motorcycle without a registration number plate.
Robbery Planned Under Guise Of Customer Visit
The victim, shopkeeper Ashutosh Kumar, told police that three men aged between 25 and 30 arrived at the shop around 3.20pm.
One of the suspects remained outside while another entered the jewellery shop posing as a customer and asked to see gold lockets. A third suspect reportedly lingered near a neighbouring sweet shop, inquiring about the price of sweets.
According to eyewitnesses, one of the men was wearing a helmet, another had covered his face with a towel, while the third had his face uncovered.
The situation escalated when the purported customer asked to see additional jewellery.
As Kumar opened the safe to retrieve more items, another suspect allegedly entered the shop, pointed a pistol at the shopkeeper’s head and stomach, and threatened him.
Police said the robbers then filled a sack with both new and old gold and silver ornaments stored in the shop. The stolen items reportedly included jewellery that had recently been brought to the premises by the shopkeeper’s father, Brajesh Seth.
Gunshots Fired During Escape
After completing the robbery, the three suspects rushed to their motorcycle parked outside the shop.
When Kumar raised an alarm, nearby traders and residents attempted to intervene. A neighbouring sweet shop owner reportedly tried to stop the suspects, prompting one of the men to open fire.
The robbers then sped towards Bahuara Chowk, where witnesses said they fired another round into the air before fleeing towards the Parasathua area.
No injuries were reported in the firing.
Police Launch Search Operation
Senior police officials, including SDPO Gopal Krishna, reached the spot soon after receiving information about the incident.
Police attempted to track the suspects using the live location of the mobile phone allegedly snatched from the shopkeeper. However, the accused managed to evade capture.
During their escape, the suspects reportedly left behind a bag containing a women’s purse, gloves, a mask and two cartridges.
Police seized the bag from the scene and recovered two live cartridges.
Investigators are now examining CCTV footage from the area and analysing the recovered items as part of efforts to identify and arrest those involved.
