Mohali, December 30: In a daylight robbery, four miscreants, carrying at least three pistols, looted a jewellery shop at the Phase 10 market and decamped with cash and ornaments valued around Rs 37 lakh here today.
Three of the robbers had covered their faces with monkey caps, while the fourth used a muffler to hide his identity at the time of the incident, which occurred around 11 am today.
The robbers took 15 minutes to loot Rs 2.5 lakh and jewellery items worth around Rs 35 lakh. Shop owner Rajesh Kumar and his son Abhey Chauhan were at the shop. The criminals had brought ropes with which they tied the father-son duo before putting the booty in their bag. While fleeing from the shop, they also took away the mobile phones of the duo and the digital video recorder (DVR) with them so that the police could not get the footage of CCTV cameras installed in the shop. Due to the chilly weather, only a few shops were open at the time of the incident.
Talking to media, Rajesh Kumar said the robbers came in a black Baleno car, which they parked in front of the shop. “I was doing some work when all of sudden, one of the robbers, who was wearing a cap and a muffler, entered the shop and put his pistol on my son’s temple and threatened us to hand over the keys of the safe. Then the remaining three came in and they tied me with a chair and also my son in the basement,” said Rajesh Kumar.
He said the robbers hardly took 15 minutes to put jewellery items and cash from the safe as well as from the display counters in their bag. “They then fled away, threatening us not to inform the police or be ready to be eliminated,” said Rajesh Kumar.
After the incident, Abhey managed to release himself first. The father-son duo informed the police from their neighbour’s phone.
Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Singh Chahal, along with area Deputy Superintendent of Police Ramandeep Singh, reached at the spot.
“Our forensic team is on the job. We are scrutinising the footage of CCTVs installed in nearby shops in the market. Investigations are on,” said Chahal. A case under Section 392 of the IPC and under the Arms Act has been registered at the Phase 11 police station.
