Mumbai: Jeweller’s brother, four men held for robbing valuables worth Rs 29 lakh from his home

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As per the FIR, the three accused barged into the house between 1.35 pm and 2.10 pm on March 10, according to the complainant Surendra Jain, who is the jeweller’s son. Armed with daggers and a country-made pistol, loaded with four bullets, the accused threatened Jain and his mother and fled with gold and cash worth Rs 29.60 lakh.

To avoid getting caught, the accused changed four autorickshaws as they escaped and, between the rides, they walked in different directions and even changed clothes, the police said. During the crime, they also wore masks and caps to avoid being identified, but the investigators still traced them to the Vakola area with the help of footage from CCTV cameras in the city.

“We have recovered the entire stolen amount and seized the weapons from the accused,” said Manjunath Shinge, DCP (Zone 9). The accused include Jain’s estranged uncle Bharat and his friend Ayaz Ahmed who planned the robbery.

Ahmed hired three men for the robbery, including Sunil Yadav and Rizwan Ansari, the police said, adding that a third robber is on the run. “The fifth accused arrested in the case is a jeweller who bought the stolen items,” said Inspector Sandip Yede-Patil.

Ansari has previously been booked in a murder case and Yadav has multiple robbery cases against him in Uttar Pradesh, the police said. Preliminary probe indicates they met Ahmed at a jail in Varanasi. PSI Deepak Kharade said they have been remanded in police custody till March 15.