Jhansi couple arrested for attacking, robbing jeweller in Vasai

The police’s investigation has revealed that the accused had come to Mumbai from Jhansi a few days ago, with their infant son to rob jewellers, after watching some videos of robberies in the Vasai-Virar region on social media. They rented a room near Mira Road station and began planning the heist

Mumbai: A day after a brutal attack on a jeweller in Vasai, the police arrested a couple from a train in Nashik on Wednesday while they were allegedly fleeing to their hometown in Uttar Pradesh.

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According to the police, the incident occurred in broad daylight around 12.30pm on Tuesday at Ambika Jewellers in Waliv in Vasai East, when the store owner, Kalu Singh, was alone in the shop. The accused, Sohail Sharafat Khan, 23, and his wife, Firdous Bano had gone to the shop, pretending to get a ring checked. When Sohail asked for water for his child and Singh stepped inside, he allegedly attacked Singh with an axe. The duo then fled in their car, with whatever jewellery they could lay their hands on. The incident came to light when Singh walked out of the shop covered in blood and was rushed by neighboring shopkeepers to Platinum Hospital.

Subsequently, a case was registered against them. The crime branch then analysed the CCTV footage to track the car they fled in and found it abandoned near Bhaliwale village. The footage also revealed that the duo abandoned the car there, went to Mira Road station in a truck and then boarded a train to Jhansi. Simultaneously, the police contacted the car owner and acquired the accused’s phone number. After tracking their phone, the police traced their location to a train passing through Nashik, after which they were followed and arrested on Wednesday. The couple will be produced in court on Thursday, the police said.

The police’s investigation has revealed that Sohail and Bano had come to Mumbai from Jhansi a few days ago, with their infant son to rob jewellers, after watching some videos of robberies in the Vasai-Virar region on social media. They rented a room near Mira Road station and began planning the heist.

Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Sandip Doifode said Sohail rented a car and spent three days observing the store, Ambika Jewellers, and its surroundings in Vasai East. The couple also visited the shop, posing as customers, to analyse CCTV angles, footfall and the shopkeeper’s daily routine. After being arrested, Sohail confessed to the crime and revealed that he had lived in Vasai earlier before moving to Jhansi and setting up a grocery business. He suffered heavy losses, leading to mounting debts that pushed him to plan the robbery.