Bathinda jewellery shop theft cracked; 4 accused arrested, 7 kg stolen silver recovered
3 accused from Madhya Pradesh and a jeweller from Malerkotla held; arrests help solve similar theft cases across Punjab
Over three weeks after a daring jewellery shop theft that sparked protests by traders in Bathinda, the district police on Monday claimed to have cracked the case with the arrest of four accused; three from Madhya Pradesh and a jeweller from Ahmedgarh in Malerkotla district — and the recovery of around 7 kg of stolen silver.
The arrests have also helped the police solve similar theft cases reported from Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Mohali and SBS Nagar districts.
The theft occurred at a jewellery shop in Pratap Nagar on the foggy intervening night of January 14 and 15. The shopkeeper had alleged that over 15 masked men broke open the shutter and decamped with gold and silver ornaments worth nearly Rs 45 lakh. The incident was captured on CCTV cameras.
A case was registered at the Canal Colony police station on January 15.
The incident triggered protests by traders, who put up placards reading “Sari market vikau hai” (Entire market is for sale) and notices outside shops declaring, “Eh dukaan vikau hai” (This shop is for sale).
Bathinda SSP Jyoti Yadav said the gang was traced using technical surveillance, human intelligence and CCTV footage. After investigations across Punjab and Haryana, four accused — including Anil, Govinda and Omi — were arrested. In addition, Bikram Verma, a jeweller from Ahmedgarh in Malerkotla district, was arrested for allegedly purchasing the stolen silver.
“The gang often conducted reconnaissance by posing as balloon sellers during fairs. Efforts are underway to arrest the remaining accused,” she said.
