Bullion traders express concern over recent Meerut heist, meet senior cops
Thieves dug-up a 10-foot tunnel via drain to break into a Meerut-based jewellery shop on Tuesday. They managed to loot jewellery worth ₹15 lakh.
MEERUT The recent Bollywood-style heist in a Meerut-based jewellery shop has shocked bullion traders in the district. Concerned over the incidents of gangs targeting jewellery shops in the district, traders and members of the Meerut Bullion Traders Association met SSP Rohit Kumar Sajwan, SP city Piyush Singh, and other police officials on Wednesday evening.
Association’s general secretary Vijay Anand Agarwal and other officials shared their concerns with officials. They urged the police to set up a help desk that works on cases related to bullion traders and helps in arresting criminals and recovering stolen jewellery. He has even shot letters to bullion traders across India and sought their help in identifying gangs that decamp with valuables after breaking into a shop through a tunnel.
“The gang has been active in Meerut for the past three months. They have even made futile attempts to cut the vault through gas-cutters. The gang digs 5-to 15-metre-long tunnels to break into a shop,” added Agarwal.
In a similar vein, Raghav Prasad Garg, a city-based bullion trader, said, “Tuesday’s incident was the third in the past three months when members of a gang broke into a shop by digging a tunnel. Jewellery worth ₹15 lakh was stolen on Tuesday. My shop is just opposite the store where the heist took place. I am worried about the security of my shop now.”
SSP Sajwan has sought time till Sunday to arrest the members of ‘tunnel gang’, which is believed to be behind these heists. For starters, police are looking for those people who have an expertise in digging tunnels. For the unversed, thieves dug-up a 10-foot tunnel via drain to break into a Meerut-based jewellery shop on Tuesday. They managed to loot jewellery worth ₹15 lakh. The thieves even left a letter after escaping with the jewellery. In the letter, they said, “We are sorry but we are bound to steal. The floor was very strong.”