Cashing in on broken CCTV cameras, robbers decamp with 2kg gold

Ghatkopar police are searching for three men who robbed a jewellery store in a brazen daytime robbery yesterday. R G Jewellers located on M G Road, Ghatkopar (West), was robbed at 11.30 am by the miscreants who brandished a gun at the owner, and looted 2 kg of gold ornaments estimated at Rs 70 lakh. However, the police have no clue of the identity of the robbers as the store's CCTV was not functioning.

Golden heist: R G Jewellers was looted yesterday by three unidentified armed men, who decamped with gold ornaments worthu00a0Rs 70 lakh. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi

"It was a well planned heist. The owner of the shop informed us that the same men had visited the shop two days earlier posing as customers," said investigating officer Chandrakant Puri. "Three unidentified persons entered my shop, and said they were interested in buying a ring. As I moved to show them a ring, one of them enquired if the CCTV camera was working. Clueless about their motive I said no, and then one of them placed a gun on the table," said Kanak Shah, 38-year-old owner of the store. According to the cops, Kanak froze after seeing the gun and the robbers helped themselves to whatever they could lay their hands on.

Commissioner of police, Arup Patnaik, Joint CP of law and order Rajnish Seth, Additional CP (east region) Qaiser Khalid all visited the store.
Meanwhile, following the recent robberies, jewellers are living in fear. Shantilal Bapna, president, Ghatkopar Jeweller Association, said, "We had strictly warned all jewellers to install cameras but some owners lack sense. Cops are helping us, but we don't feel safe."u00a0