Duo hide in drain after failed robbery bid at Diva jewellery store

The two accused were arrested from the spot with a pistol and a knife used in the crime. Both have previous criminal records, police said

THANE: Two robbers who attempted to loot a jewellery shop in Diva on Wednesday afternoon were arrested two hours later from a sewage-filled drain where they were hiding following the failed robbery attempt. A team from the Mumbra police entered inside the drain and arrested the accused, police officers familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times.

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According to the police, the incident occurred around noon at Sabe Gaon in Diva when the accused, Shravan Kumar Patwa and Dhruv Patwa, entered Khedadevi Jewellers and sought to rob the shop by brandishing a pistol at the owner, Shambhoo Singh. The owner, however, resisted the robbery attempt and sustained injuries to his hand after one of the accused attacked him with a knife.

“Hearing the commotion, nearby shopkeepers and local residents rushed to assist Singh. The robbers then threatened the crowd with the pistol and fled from the spot,” a police officer told HT, requesting anonymity.

Considering the seriousness of the incident, several senior police officers – including additional commissioner of police (crime) Panjabrao Ugale and deputy commissioner of police (crime) Amarsinh Jadhav – rushed to the spot to supervise the investigation.

Senior inspector from Mumbra police station Anil Shinde said multiple police teams were deployed across Diva and Mumbra after the incident to trace the accused.

One of the teams found the accused hiding near the isolated Chuha Bridge stretch along the railway tracks line between Diva and Mumbra. Upon noticing the police approaching, they jumped into a nearby sewage-filled drain and tried to conceal themselves in the muck to evade arrest.

The two accused were arrested from the spot with a pistol and a knife used in the crime. Both have previous criminal records, police said.