In a brazen daylight robbery, a group of masked men stormed a Tanishq showroom in Bihar's Arrah on Monday, holding customers and staff at gunpoint. The thieves made off with jewellery worth ₹25 crore along with an undisclosed amount of cash. The incident occurred on Monday shortly after the showroom opened at 10:30 am, when 5-6 men burst into the store, overpowering security personnel and taking hostages. CCTV footage shows the armed men ordering customers and staff to raise their hands as they carried out the heist and methodically packed the stolen items into bags before making their escape.
The daring heist occurred at the Tanishq branch located in Gopali Chowk, within the jurisdiction of the Arrah police station. According to Kumar Mrityunjay, the showroom manager, the thieves made off with a substantial haul, including cash, gold jewellery such as chains, necklaces, and bangles, as well as some diamond pieces.
Watch the video here:
Security guard Manoj Kumar recounted the ordeal, stating that the showroom had opened at 10 a.m. on Monday, ahead of Holi.
"Six criminals arrived in a car, parking it across the street. As per showroom policy, we do not allow groups of more than four to enter at once, so we permitted them entry in pairs. When the sixth person arrived, he held a pistol to my head, snatched my weapon, and assaulted me. Then, they started filling their bags with jewellery," he said.
Rohit Kumar Mishra, an employee of the store, told IANS that the staff hid behind the counters to save their lives when the situation got tense and chaotic.
Following the incident, the Superintendent of Police, Bhojpur instructed all station heads to conduct thorough vehicle checks. To aid in identifying the perpetrators, CCTV footage and photographs were disseminated via the district's WhatsApp group. Acting on this information, the station head, accompanied by their team, began checking vehicles at the Babura Choti bridge. During this operation, six suspicious men on three motorcycles were spotted speeding towards Doriganj.
When signalled to stop, they accelerated and attempted to flee. A high-speed chase ensued, during which the perpetrators opened fire on the police, prompting the officers to return fire in self-defence. Two sustained injuries during the crossfire and are currently undergoing medical treatment. The police successfully recovered two pistols, 10 cartridges, stolen jewellery from the Tanishq showroom, and a Pulsar motorcycle.
The company is assisting the police in assessing the losses and investigating the case. Meanwhile, showroom employees have also alleged a delay in police response.
"This is a lapse by the authorities. It was morning time, not evening or night. We were calling the police, but did not receive any response," reported PTI quoting Kumar Mrityunjay. He added that two of their executives were injured as they were hit on the head by a revolver.
