Mumbai: Armed robbers robbed a jewelery shop in Vasai Agarwal city on Friday night and snatched around 50-60 tola of gold from the main locker in just 1 minute and 20 seconds.
The two entered Mayank Jewellers, attacked the elderly owner Ratanlal Singhvi and quickly carried out the robbery, all of which was captured on CCTV.
The police have registered a BNS case under relevant sections of the Theft and Arms Act. Initial reports said the amount of gold looted may be around Rs 40 lakh. Senior police officers of the Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar Board (MBVV) are at the scene looking for clues.
The conman reminded people of a similar incident in August 2021, when a jeweler was robbed on busy streets such as Nalasopara West near the station just after opening his jewelery shop in the morning.
They not only robbed the shop but also murdered the shop owner Kishor Jain (48). This bold attempt by the Commissioner has raised concerns over law and order and instilled fear among the common people.
Mayank Jewelers is located in west Vasai, Agarwal city. Singhvi (67) also runs the shop with his son Manish Singhvi.
The prank happened when Ratanlal was alone in his shop. Surveillance footage showed two men, one of whom was armed, breaking into the store, brandishing a gun, pushing Ratanlal into the dressing room and attacking him. They put him down and one of the defendants gagged Ratanlala with his hands while the other ransacked the locker.
Seconds later, as Ratanlal calmed down, the other accused joined in robbing the locker. They put the stolen jewelry into bags and left. The whole process only took 1 minute and 15/20 seconds.
One defendant was wearing a helmet and the other was wearing a mask. While Ratanlal was doing well after receiving first aid, jewelers expressed shock over the incident.
Police are investigating the prank as they believe there may have been some back-up. Police said the exact amount of the loot would be calculated today as the robbers took the pallets with them, but it is likely to be around 50-60 tolas.
