Udaipur: An interstate gang behind a Rs 1 crore theft at a jewellery showroom in Panchwati around a month and a half ago has been busted. Police, who had earlier arrested two members of the gang, have now arrested three more, including the kingpin. The accused are linked to a notorious interstate gang operating out of the Chambal ravines in Pinahat and Shamshabad in Uttar Pradesh. They had dug pits in the ravines and buried the stolen goods, which police have now recovered.
SP Dr Amrita Duhan said the kingpin, Anand alias Kukadiya Verma, a resident of Pura Nattha Jhoria in Pinahat, Agra, along with Dhanpal alias Dhandhu Verma and Guddu Rathore, a resident of Nagla Mukta under Shamshabad police station in Agra, were arrested. Dhanpal has three cases registered against him, while Anand has two. Several teams worked to trace the gang under the supervision of ASP City Umesh Ojha and City West Circle Officer Rajesh Yadav, led by Station House Officer Rajudevi Raj.
The Rs 1 crore theft took place at Naveen Jewellers showroom in Panchwati on July 29. Proprietor Naveen Swaroopria had filed a complaint at Hathipole police station stating that the thieves pried open the shop's side shutter and broke the glass door to get inside. They made off with diamonds worth around Rs 22 lakh, 390 grams of gold jewellery, 12 kg of silver jewellery and utensils, and Rs 9.75 lakh in cash — goods totalling Rs 1 crore.
Police teams scanned footage from multiple CCTV cameras across Udaipur city and spotted five suspects casing the shop before the crime. Tracking their route showed them travelling from the City Railway Station towards Chittorgarh. Police then pieced together footage from 200 cameras spanning Chittorgarh, Kota, Baran, Dholpur and Gwalior up to Agra, which led them to the Chambal ravines.
Police gathered intelligence in the ravines, cordoned off the accused's hideouts and raided them. On their pointing out, officers recovered Rs 60 lakh worth of stolen goods that had been buried in pits dug in fields amid the ravines. All three accused are now being questioned. Police are still searching for another absconding gang member, Manoj alias Doctor Verma, and continuing efforts to recover the remaining stolen goods.
Two gang members, Manoj Verma and Anand Verma, had come to Udaipur as labourers two months before the theft. They cased the jewellery showroom and then called in the rest of the gang. The group broke in through a nearby drain. During the crime, the accused avoided using mobile phones, and while fleeing, they kept changing trains and buses, paying in cash every time to avoid leaving any digital or physical evidence.