Armed criminals allegedly raided a jewellery shop-cum-house in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district, held the family hostage and fled with jewellery and cash worth lakhs of rupees. The incident reportedly took place near Singharawan More along the GT Road in the Chauparan police station area.
According to information available, around five masked criminals entered the Vaishnavi Jewellery shop-cum-house late Friday night. According to the victim family, the criminals were carrying pistols and sharp weapons. Some of them were reportedly wearing raincoats.
According to shop owner Rajesh Kumar, the criminals reached the terrace through the staircase and entered the house. They allegedly held a weapon to his son Nikhil’s temple and woke up the other family members. The occupants were then allegedly tied up and the keys to the shop and house were taken from them.
The criminals searched the lockers kept inside the shop and house. They then allegedly filled gold and silver jewellery and cash into bags before leaving the premises. The victim family has estimated the value of the looted items at around ₹20 lakh to ₹25 lakh.
The robbers also allegedly took two mobile phones belonging to the family. One of the phones was later found under a sofa in the morning, while the location of the second phone was reportedly traced to the Koderma area. Police are taking the investigation forward on the basis of this technical information.
Chauparan Police reached the spot after receiving information about the incident. The police team inspected the scene and began examining footage from CCTV cameras installed in the surrounding area. Raids are also being conducted at possible locations.
According to Barhi SDPO Radha Prem Kishore, a technical team, sniffer dog squad and forensic experts are assisting in efforts to identify and arrest the criminals. Police are also investigating suspicious activities in nearby areas.
Following the incident, concern has spread among jewellery traders in Singharawan More and surrounding areas. Local gold traders have demanded the early arrest of the accused and recovery of the looted jewellery.
Police are currently working to piece together the case on the basis of CCTV footage, technical evidence and forensic investigation.
