One shot dead in robbery case

SURAT, July 27: In a daring daylight robbery, four unidentified people shot dead Arvindbhai Lalchand Choksi 56, a flour merchant, and e...

SURAT, July 27: In a daring daylight robbery, four unidentified people shot dead Arvindbhai Lalchand Choksi 56, a flour merchant, and escaped with Rs 21,000 in cash on Monday.

According to information, Choksi was travelling on his two-wheeler around 10.45 in the morning when four people, aged between 30 and 35 and armed with tamanchas and knives, intercepted him on a motorcycle and a scooter at Ghachi Sheri on the Station Road. They first attempted to snatch his bag and when he resisted, shot him at point-blank range. A resident of Kabootarkhana in the Sagrampura main road area, Choksi received one single bullet injury on the back of his head and died on the spot. The bullet was fired from a 0.315 bore country revolver.

One Dipakkumar Jaikishan Gajjar 33, working in a furniture shop opposite where Chokshi was shot dead, was also shot at when he attempted to intervene. Though he ducked as the shot was fired, he was injured in the shoulder. His condition was reported to be stable at the Maskati Hospital, where he was operated upon for the removal of the bullet from his shoulder.

Talking to Express Newsline, he said, 8220;There were four people. One had a cream shirt and wore black trousers. The other three wore striped shirts.8221;

According to local residents, the assailants also fired two shots in the air. Chokshi was employed with the Baroda Rayon Corporation BRC and also ran a flour business. He had stopped by at the Navjivan Flour and Pulp Mills at Ghachi Sheri, on his way to paying off dealers. According to Sandeep Kothari, manager of the Navjivan Flour Mills, Choksi took two bundles of Rs 5 notes from him and had just stepped out of the shop when the four attacked him.

According to some eye-witnesses, the number of the Yamaha motorcycle was GJ 5 K 9873, but the police said the registration number could be fake.

Incidentally, the Mahidharpura police station is within walking distance of the shootout site. However, neither the station personnel nor the traffic policemen stationed on the busy Rajmarg Road could nab the culprits, who ran away towards the railway station.

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The Mahidharpura police, the area ACP and Additional Commissioner Surendra Prasad Chitturi rushed to the spot.