Two more arrested from Gujarat in jewellery store heist; total climbs to six

The key accused involved in the armed dacoity at Khazana Jewellery in Chandanagar earlier this month were arrested by the Cyberabad police on Friday (August 22), taking the total number of arrests in the case to six.

Prince Kumar Bharati, the mastermind and Rohit Kumar Rajak alias Rohit Baitha, who is accused of firing at the deputy manager during the robbery, were tracked down and detained at Ankleshwar in Gujarat.

The dramatic incident unfolded on August 12, when six armed offenders stormed into the store, opened fire on the deputy manager and injured him in the knee, before making away with about 10 kg of silver articles coated with gold colour. A case was immediately registered at Chandanagar police and police teams were formed to trace the accused.

In the days that followed, police arrested two suspects, Aashish Kumar Singh and Deepak Kumar Sah, on August 15 in Jejuri, Pune and in Hyderabad respectively. Their interrogation led to the recovery of 900 grammes of stolen silver. Four days later, on August 19, another two accused, Anish Kumar Singh and Prince Kumar Rajak, were taken into custody at Pimpri in Pune, from whom police seized 1,015 grammes of silver articles and a country-made firearm.

The latest arrest include Bharati and Rohit, both of whom have a history of serious offences across Bihar. Investigators said the duo have confessed to concealing a firearm and some of the stolen ornaments, which are expected to be recovered once they are placed in police custody.

According to police, Bharati is a habitual offender and has been booked in at least five cases ranging from attempt to murder, dacoity and arms offences to forgery and narcotics charges across Siwan, Gopalganj and Saran districts of Bihar between 2021 and 2025. Rohit too was absconding in connection with a previous dacoity case in Saran district.

Efforts are on to trace the remaining three accused and recover the rest of the stolen property.

Police have also urged jewellery shop owners to strengthen their security systems, install intrusion alarms and remain in close coordination with their nearest police stations to prevent such incidents in future.