Police have arrested four men hailing from different states less than a day after they allegedly attempted to commit armed robbery at a gold jewellery shop in Vylakavel, central Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The accused have been identified as Balaju Ramesh Gayakwad, a 25-year-old native of Maharasthra’s Sholapur, 24-year-old Balwan Singh from Bhimani in Haryana, 26-year-old Sriram Bishnoi from Badmer in Rajasthan and 27-year-old Omprakash from Jalore, Rajasthan.
The four-person gang was caught staying in a rented accommodation in DVG Layout in Vinayaka Nagar around 10.30 pm on Wednesday, police said. Balaju is a silver ornament worker, while the rest are involved in steel welding works. Police have also seized two country-made guns and mobiles phones. Police are also trying to ascertain if they were involved in other crimes as well.
The police said the three teams led by inspectors of three police stations — Vyalikaval, Sheshadripuram and Sadashivnagar under the supervision of ACP Seshadripuram Sub-division Niranjanraj Urs — will be duly rewarded for the swift capture.
“They are not an interstate gang, they know each other through common friends. They have called up each other and joined with common intention to carry out this act. While three persons went in the shop, the other person was giving the three logistical support and was involved in the entire conspiracy,” Niranjanraj Urs told TNM.
While the gang was armed, quick thinking and prompt action by Rakhi and her husband Asish, owners of Samrat Jewels, resulted in the robbers leaving without any goods. In the panic, the gang also left the bike on which they came to the shop. Rakhi had thrown a chair at the robbers, which made them flee after they shot in the air to scare them.
The police also commended the brave work by Rakhi and Asish in scaring off the armed robbers.
He added, “Among the four, only Balaju has a criminal past. He has carried out a similar act in a bank in Maharashtra earlier this year. All other four co-accused were arrested in that case but he was absconding. The bike and CCTV cameras were helpful in nabbing the culprits."
Following the incident, top police officials including Bengaluru City Commissioner Bhaskar Rao and Joint Commissioner (Crime) Sandeep Patil visited the crime scene. A case by Vylakavel Police has been registered under Section 307 (attempt to murder), Section 393 (attempt to commit robbery) of the Indian Penal Code and section 7, 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.