1,700 kg jewellery worth Rs 4 crore looted in Gujarat

RAJKOT: About 1,700 kg of silver and imitation jewellery was looted by seven people, who posed as policemen and intercepted the cargo van carrying the valuables near Sayla on the Ahmedabad-Rajkot highway on Friday midnight.
The robbers thrashed the driver of the pick-up van belonging to city-based logistics firm News Air Service and took away 992kg of silver worth Rs 4 crore and 704kg of imitation jewellery worth Rs 5 lakh.
The valuables were being transported to the Ahmedabad airport and destined for various cities across India. Rajkot is the hub of imitation jewellery which is sent across the country every day.
Amit Singh, the van driver, told police that seven people came in three cars, one of which overtook his vehicle from the wrong side and intercepted it near Modern School in Sayla. Two more cars soon came and the occupants told him in Gujarati that they were cops and accused him of trafficking liquor.
According to the police, before Singh could reply, he was hit on the head and fell unconscious. Singh was then put in another car, his hands and legs tied, and was blindfolded.
The robbers broke open the rear door of the van and robbed the parcels of jewellery. Singh said when he regained consciousness, he was in a cotton field.
He, somehow, reached the highway and took lift from a truck and informed the logistics firm owner Pintu Singh.
Singh was accompanied by a helper who was also allegedly thrashed and pushed in another car.
He managed to return to the city and is being interrogated by the police.
According to the driver, the robbers had covered their faces but they were speaking in Gujarati.
Talking to TOI, Rajkot inspector general of police Ashok Kumar Yadav said, "We have formed 10 teams consisting of cops of three districts including Rajkot, Surendrangar and Morbi. We have barricaded all the major roads and are trying to nab the robbers as soon as possible."
Singh said, "Our van delivers valuables at Ahmedabad airport from Rajkot every day. The driver called us from someone else's mobile late Friday night and informed us that he had been thrashed and the parcels robbed. The jewellery parcels belonged to nearly 50 traders from the city."