Pune: Burglars fire two rounds at cops near jewellery shop
Mihir Tanksale | TNN | Mar 1, 2019, 06:59 IST
The burglars came to the shop around 3.45 am on Thursday.PUNE: A gang of five men fired twice at two beat marshals of the Khadki police during a burglary at a jewellery shop at Bopodi around 4am on Thursday. While the policemen dodged one bullet, the other one misfired.
Police said the burglars came to Shree Vardhaman Jewellers at Raviraj Heritage on Bhau Patil Road around 3.45am in a grey multi-purpose vehicle. Three of them entered the shop by breaking the locks of the safety door and then ripping apart the central lock with a device connected to the vehicle, police said.
As they were putting trays containing ornaments in the car, beat marshals Madhav Gopnar and Swapnil Gholap reached the spot on their motorcycle and asked the driver why the vehicle was waiting there. The driver accelerated and his three accomplices started running towards the vehicle.
As the policemen ran after them, one of the burglars pulled out a gun and shot at them twice. The policemen dodged a bullet, while the other misfired. The burglars got into the vehicle and fled towards the Pune-Mumbai highway.
The police said the burglars took Rs 20,000 and about eight trays of mostly silver and a few gold ornaments. “They were trying to break a safe containing about 1.5kg of gold ornaments. Our beat marshals foiled their attempt,” assistant commissioner of police (Khadki division) Kalyanrao Vidhate told TOI.
Vidhate said, “Gopnar had a narrow escape as the suspect shot at him from a close distance. Gholap was carrying a self-loading rifle with him. However, the burglars fled before he could open fire.”
Khadki police inspector Shafil Pathan said, “After Wednesday’s theft of over Rs21 lakh from an ATM in Chandannagar, we instructed our night beat marshals to visit such kiosks while patrolling. Raviraj Heritage houses three ATM kiosks.”
Pathan said the jeweller, Anand Jain, was yet to ascertain the value of the ornaments stolen from the shop. The police have registered an offence under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 397 (robbery or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) and 395 (dacoity) of the Indian Penal Code.
Gopnar, who almost caught one of the burglars, said the vehicle was waiting in front of the jewellery shop with its indicator lights on. “We suspected something amiss and stopped near the vehicle. Gholap got down and saw two men in the car. On seeing us, the driver accelerated,” he told TOI.
“Around the same time, three men came out from the shop and started running towards the car. When we began chasing them, the person carrying the tray threatened us saying, ‘Do not come forward, else I will kill you’,” he said.
“We were about to nab him when he took a firearm from his accomplice and fired a round at me. I managed to dodge the bullet. He tried to fire one more shot but it misfired. Seeing him firing at us, I told Gholap to open fire at them,” Gopnar said.
Gholap said the man got into the car before he could open fire. “We chased them on our motorcycle till Bopodi chowk,” he said.
A crime branch officer said the police have ascertained the identity of two burglars. “The one who fired at the beat marshals has a previous criminal record,” he said.
Police said the burglars came to Shree Vardhaman Jewellers at Raviraj Heritage on Bhau Patil Road around 3.45am in a grey multi-purpose vehicle. Three of them entered the shop by breaking the locks of the safety door and then ripping apart the central lock with a device connected to the vehicle, police said.
As they were putting trays containing ornaments in the car, beat marshals Madhav Gopnar and Swapnil Gholap reached the spot on their motorcycle and asked the driver why the vehicle was waiting there. The driver accelerated and his three accomplices started running towards the vehicle.
As the policemen ran after them, one of the burglars pulled out a gun and shot at them twice. The policemen dodged a bullet, while the other misfired. The burglars got into the vehicle and fled towards the Pune-Mumbai highway.
The police said the burglars took Rs 20,000 and about eight trays of mostly silver and a few gold ornaments. “They were trying to break a safe containing about 1.5kg of gold ornaments. Our beat marshals foiled their attempt,” assistant commissioner of police (Khadki division) Kalyanrao Vidhate told TOI.
Vidhate said, “Gopnar had a narrow escape as the suspect shot at him from a close distance. Gholap was carrying a self-loading rifle with him. However, the burglars fled before he could open fire.”
Khadki police inspector Shafil Pathan said, “After Wednesday’s theft of over Rs21 lakh from an ATM in Chandannagar, we instructed our night beat marshals to visit such kiosks while patrolling. Raviraj Heritage houses three ATM kiosks.”
Pathan said the jeweller, Anand Jain, was yet to ascertain the value of the ornaments stolen from the shop. The police have registered an offence under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 397 (robbery or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) and 395 (dacoity) of the Indian Penal Code.
Gopnar, who almost caught one of the burglars, said the vehicle was waiting in front of the jewellery shop with its indicator lights on. “We suspected something amiss and stopped near the vehicle. Gholap got down and saw two men in the car. On seeing us, the driver accelerated,” he told TOI.
“Around the same time, three men came out from the shop and started running towards the car. When we began chasing them, the person carrying the tray threatened us saying, ‘Do not come forward, else I will kill you’,” he said.
“We were about to nab him when he took a firearm from his accomplice and fired a round at me. I managed to dodge the bullet. He tried to fire one more shot but it misfired. Seeing him firing at us, I told Gholap to open fire at them,” Gopnar said.
Gholap said the man got into the car before he could open fire. “We chased them on our motorcycle till Bopodi chowk,” he said.
A crime branch officer said the police have ascertained the identity of two burglars. “The one who fired at the beat marshals has a previous criminal record,” he said.
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