Maharashtra masked men rob gold worth Rs 5.7 lakh from jewellery store

PUNE: Two men with their faces covered with masks robbed four gold chains collectively worth Rs5,65,307 from a jewellery store in the Nigdi gaothan area after threatening its owner with a gun on Friday around 2pm.
Nitin Suresh Oswal, proprietor of Sachin Jewellers, has registered an FIR under relevant sections of the IPC and the Arms Act with the Nigdi police. “I was present at the store when two men barged inside.One of them was brandishing a gun. It looked like a pistol. He threatened me with dire consequences, while the other man went behind the counter and pulled out a tray filled with gold ornaments,” he said.
“The robbers panicked when I pressed the alarm button. I picked up a rod and hit the man holding the tray. It slipped from his hands, but he managed to get hold of four gold chains. The duo fled on a scooter towards Pune with the chains. All this happened within a span of 30 seconds,” Oswal told TOI.
“Both the men were aged between 25 and 30 and communicating in Marathi. A CCTV camera in the shop has captured their images,” he added.
Senior inspector and Nigdi police station in-charge Satish Pawar said when the jeweller raised the alarm, a citizen chased the robbers and caught hold of the pillion rider. “He lost balance and fell from the scooter. The citizen could not overpower him, as the man riding the vehicle threatened him with the gun,” he said.
“The CCTV footage shows that the robbers were wearing the masks. One of them was seen removing the mask after running out of the store. The scooter used in the crime did not have a registration number,” Pawar said,
The police are checking the CCTV footage. “We are also checking CCTV cameras installed at other places to track the route the duo took to reach the store and flee after the crime,” Pawar said.