Shop owner puts up fight, three armed robbers flee

Three armed robbers who had barged into a lottery shop at Ghatkopar on Friday night, had to flee after the shop owner put up a fight.

Three armed robbers who had barged into a lottery shop at Ghatkopar on Friday night, had to flee after the shop owner put up a fight.

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And in their hurry to escape, the robbers, all aged around 25 years, left behind a country-made revolver and a chopper.

The Ghatkopar police said the incident happened around 10.15 pm at LBS Marg in Ghatkopar when Arvind Pawani (47) was closing his shop.

Pawani was switching off the lights of his shop when one of the accused asked him whether he was shutting the shop.

“When Pawani replied in the affirmative, the trio pushed Pawani inside and two of them whipped out a country-made revolver (katta) and a chopper. The robber who was carrying the katta started advancing towards the cash box,” said Inspector Chandrakanth Puri of Ghatkopar police station.

Pawani caught hold of the robber carrying the katta. In the skirmish, the weapon accidentally misfired.

“When the shot went off, the other two robbers panicked and thinking that their accomplice had been shot at, they fled towards the Ghatkopar railway station,” Puri said. They left the chopper behind.

The men have been booked for attempted robbery, assault and for illegal use of arms.

“The whole incident happened after Pawani had switched off the lights. So, he can’t give a description of two of the three robbers,” said a police officer requesting anonymity.