Gold heist in Austin Town

A four-member armed gang threatened and robbed a pawn broker and took away around 1.25 kg of gold worth around Rs 20 lakh in Austin town area on Monday afternoon.

The crime took place around 1.15 pm at the pawn broker’s shop-cum-residence at MB Jewellers, South Street, Yellagundarapalya, Austin Town in Ashok Nagar locality. Within minutes of the robbery, situation turned tense as hundreds of people gathered at the spot.

Subhash Chand Osthwal, the complainant narrated the turn of events to Deccan Herald:

“Three strangers, one of them with his face covered, barged into my shop. The man who had his face covered, asked me to hand over the cash from the draw. I opened the drawer and showed them that there was no cash, while two others forcibly took me inside the house. One of them held a revolver against my left neck and directed me to hand over the jewellery from an almirah, while another was brandishing a lethal weapon. The one who was standing in the shop took out a lethal weapon and threatened the two women customers."

Osthwal had to open the almirah containing 11 bags of jewellery.

“They collected seven bags and tried to run away. When I chased them and tried to snatch the bags, one of them hit me on my left hand with a lethal weapon and I sustained injuries. The trio ran outside, joined their friend, got onto a bike and fled. In a hurry, one of the bags fell on the road which my son collected."

The police said the culprits were aged between 18 to 20 and spoke in Kannada and Hindi. They feel the robbery was the handiwork of some persons who were well aware of the booty that the shop, that looks more like a house, contained.

They came on two bikes

Osthwal’s wife, daughter and two sons were at home when the incident took place.
The complainant’s daughter Swathi said she noticed two black-coloured bikes parked outside the shop. The number plates were in Kannada.

The police said they had instructed all jewellery shop owners in Bangalore to install CCTVs through jewellery associations.

“But many of them have not followed our instructions, including the Osthwals. It would have been easy for us to identify the suspects if the CCTV had been installed by the shop owners,” said Alok Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).

He said the suspect covering his face might be a resident in the vicinity and could have done so to hide his identity,” said Alok Kumar.