Jharkhand: Looted Jewellery Unearthed From Mastermind's House, Kin Arrested

(MENAFN- IANS) Ramgarh (Jharkhand), May 11 (IANS) In a major breakthrough in the investigation into the sensational robbery at a jewellery shop in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district, police have arrested the wife and son-in-law of the alleged mastermind and recovered a huge cache of looted jewellery buried underground, officials said on Monday.

The arrests were made by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the April 21 daylight robbery at Shiv Shankar Jewellers, located near Chitarpur Rajrappa More under Rajrappa police station limits.

Those arrested have been identified as Nazma Khatun, 40, wife of the main accused, Subhani Ansari alias Lalka, and her son-in-law, Shehnawaz Hussain, 24.

Ramgarh Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar Lunayat said that acting on a specific tip-off received on May 10, the SIT intensified surveillance and interrogation of the relatives and close associates of the robbery kingpin.

"During questioning, it came to light that a portion of the looted jewellery had been hidden underground at Nazma Khatun's residence. Based on the information provided by the accused, police conducted an excavation and recovered a large quantity of gold and silver ornaments," the SP said.

The recovered items include a gold-like necklace, two earrings, and several silver ornaments such as bangles, bracelets, and rings. According to police, the yellow metal ornaments weighed approximately 49 grams, while the silver jewellery weighed around 1,350 grams.

In total, 134 pieces of jewellery were seized during the recovery operation.

The robbery had triggered panic in the area after armed criminals allegedly looted valuables from the jewellery shop in broad daylight and fled from the scene.

Following the incident, the SIT, headed by DSP Chandan Vats, launched an intensive investigation and arrested seven accused on April 24. The arrested accused were later sent to judicial custody. Police had also recovered a significant portion of the looted ornaments and weapons used in the crime from their possession.

However, efforts were continuing to trace the remaining stolen property and nab other absconding accused linked to the case.

SP Lunayat said raids are being conducted at multiple locations to arrest the remaining culprits and recover the rest of the looted valuables.

Police suspect that more members of the gang and their associates may have helped conceal the stolen jewellery after the robbery.

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