UP STF arrests 2 in connection with Rs 7-Cr jewellery heist in West Bengal, recovers cash, ornaments

Lucknow, Sep 24 (PTI) The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested a notorious gangster and one his associates in connection with a daylight robbery at a jewellery shop in West Bengal last month, and recovered Rs 20 lakh in cash along with gold and diamond ornaments, officials said on Wednesday.

Accused Adarsh Singh Behda, a resident of Behda village in the Kerakat police station area of Jaunpur district, and Suraj Seth of Danaganj village under the Cholapur police station limits in Varanasi district were arrested on Tuesday from a spot near the Gambhirpur toll plaza in Azamgarh, the STF said in a statement.

The items seized from their possession included Rs 20 lakh in cash, 12 diamond rings, a gold ring, a diamond necklace, two mobile phones and a new Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle that was allegedly purchased with the looted money.

On August 3, six armed robbers stormed the Sohan Gold and Diamond jewellery shop on Tin Mukherjee road under the Dankuni police station limits in the Chandannagar Police Commissionerate of West Bengal's Hooghly district, the STF said.

The gang assaulted staff and customers at the shop, before fleeing with gold weighing around five to six kg and diamond ornaments, together valued at about Rs 7 crore, it added.

A case was registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act at the Dankuni police station.

During investigation, it emerged that professional criminals from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were involved.

The Chandannagar police commissioner sought assistance from the Uttar Pradesh STF and shared CCTV footage and intelligence inputs.

The STF Varanasi unit gathered information about the involvement of Behda, a history-sheeter with a record of loot, dacoity and violent crimes.

Acting on a tip-off, STF officials tracked him down to Azamgarh, along with Seth.

Interrogation revealed that Behda was living in a rented room near the Hyderabad Gate in Varanasi's Lanka area when he came in contact with associates from Bihar and hatched a plan to loot a high-value jewellery shop in West Bengal.

On August 2, Behda travelled to Kolkata by bus, where his accomplices received him.

The next day, armed with weapons and two stolen motorcycles, the gang carried out the heist. After abandoning the motorcycles, they fled towards Ranchi in a sports utility vehicle (SUV), later switching to another vehicle to reach Varanasi.

The looted ornaments were divided among the gang members, with parts of the booty allegedly sold to contacts in Varanasi and Jaunpur for lakhs of rupees, the STF said.

Further investigation is underway and efforts are on to nab the other absconding members of the gang, it added.

The two arrested men have been kept at the Kerakat police station in Jaunpur. The West Bengal Police will take them into its custody for further probe. PTI ABN RC