Jewellers shot at, Rs 40 lakh looted in Begusarai

BEGUSARAI: Two jewellers were shot at and their driver killed on Tuesday by a gang of robbers, who intercepted their car on the Barauni-Begusarai Road and fled with jewellery estimated to be worth Rs 40 lakh.
Police said three Begusarai-based jewellers — Prince Soni, Umesh Soni and Abhay Kumar — were on their way to Begusarai from Barauni railway station where they had reached from Kolkata on the Howrah-Kathgodam Express in the morning.
Sources said Prince had called his driver to pick them up from Barauni station, but as soon as the car reached near Thakurichak village, three robbers intercepted the vehicle. They first pulled the driver, Dipak Mahto, out of the car and shot him dead.
The robbers then fired at the jewellers when they resisted their bid to snatch the bag resulting in serious injuries to Prince. “While Umesh also sustained injury in the firing, Abhay escaped unhurt,” Begusarai DSP (HQ) Kundan Kumar said.
“The estimated value of the gold is around Rs 40 lakh. The injured traders are undergoing treatment at a private nursing home, where their condition is stated to be stable,” Garhara police station SHO Ajit Kumar said.