Customer shot at during robbery bid at Tilak Nagar jewellery store, cops chase and nab suspects

The injured customer is undergoing treatment at the hospital and he is out of danger, said deputy commissioner of police (west) Deepak Purohit.

Less than 30 minutes after five men allegedly shot and injured a customer during a robbery bid at a jewellery shop in west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar on Monday evening, three of them were caught after a dramatic, 10km high-speed motocycle chase by policemen who stopped the getaway car, followed by a shoot-out in Patel Nagar.

The main suspect Sachin Jangra,31, who was driving the i20 getaway car, was caught after a police officer slid his motorcycle to a halt in front of the moving car, forcing it to stop. (HT file photo for representation)

The injured customer is undergoing treatment at the hospital and he is out of danger, said deputy commissioner of police (west) Deepak Purohit.

A case of robbery attempt and attempt to murder was registered at the Tilak Nagar police station in connection with the firing incident. More than two dozen police officers were involved in the entire operation that lasted for nearly 25 minutes and was reminiscent of the high-speed adrenaline pumping pursuit seen on screen. Shots were fired by the police and the robbery suspects but nobody was hurt.

The main suspect Sachin Jangra,31, who was driving the i20 getaway car, was caught after a police officer slid his motorcycle to a halt in front of the moving car, forcing it to stop. Two more suspects were overpowered in the shoot-out that followed with DCP Bhatia and his security officer firing one bullet each, police officers present at the spot said.

“The two were identified as Shehzad,21, and Mohammad Anas,22. A fourth suspect, Manish Sharma,22, was arrested from Uttam Nagar after late night raids. He had managed to flee during the police chase from Patel Nagar along with Mohammad Nadeem, who is yet to be nabbed,” DCP Sanjay Bhatia said.

Police said the whole incident started around 5.30pm when five men reached a jewellery shop near the Tilak Nagar Metro station and tried to rob it.

Before that, around 4.30pm, they first tried robbing a jewellery store in Avantika, Rohini, about 10km from Tilak Nagar but failed as the jeweller sensed something wrong when all five persons insisted on being allowed inside together. They were turned away by the jeweller who told them that official work was going on inside. He, however, did not alert the police as he didn’t know the men were robbers, said a police officer associated with the matter.

Jangra was disowned by his family a couple of years ago because of his criminal activities, police said. His father runs a jewellery shop in Tilak Nagar itself and Jangra knew some of the jewellers in the area. He had planned the robbery in Avantika and when that did not go as planned, he convinced his associates to strike the Tilak Nagar jewellery shop which was known to him, Bhatia said.

To avoid being identified by the jeweller, Jangra remained in the car while the other four went into the shop on the first floor. The robbers faced resistance from those in the shop during the robbery bid and a commotion broke out. They panicked and in their attempt to flee, they fired a shot that hit customer Chand Chadha in the abdomen. The suspects fled in Jangra’s car which was waiting outside. Almost immediately, a message regarding the firing and suspects fleeing in a Hyundai I20 car was flashed on the police wireless, the DCP said.

Four policemen who were on motorcycle patrolling spotted the i20 car near Shadipur Metro station and began chasing it. Seeing the police on their tail, Jangra took a U-turn and drove towards Moti Nagar. The policemen on motorcycles surrounded the vehicle from all sides. The car driver managed to ram one motorcycle and its rider fell off.

Police said as the car slowed down in the impact of the crash, another policeman slid his bike to a halt in front of the vehicle. The motorcycle got trapped under the car as the driver tried to speed away and brought the vehicle to a stop, said one of the police officers, who was involved in the chase.

His statement was later converted into an FIR registered at the Ranjeet Nagar police station under Sections 186 (obstructing public servant) 353 (assault), 307 (attempt to murder), 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 25,27,54, and 59 of the Arms Act.

Jangra was caught while the other occupants fled after brandishing firearms.

Soon, DCP Bhatia who was briefing personnel at the Patel Nagar police station also reached he spot and learnt from the public that two suspects had entered a bungalow, about 100m away from the spot where the car was intercepted. The police surrounded the bungalow and asked the suspects to surrender, but they fired at the police party.

“DCP Bhaita and his security officer fired two bullets to scare the suspects who tried to flee through the rear door while firing once more at the police party. The policemen chased them on foot for nearly 500m and overpowered them after a brief exchange of fire. Two firearms with nine cartridges were seized from them,” said assistant commissioner of police (Patel Nagar) Piyush Jain, adding that Jangra was previously involved in three crimes, including two robberies in Dwarka district.