In a successful operation by the Vadodara police, three individuals purported to be involved in a heist of a courier van carrying silver and imitation jewellery worth ₹1.7 cr on the Surendranagar highway were nabbed within 48 hours of the incident on Mar 8.

The Vadodara crime branch also recovered goods worth ₹40 lakh associated with this case.

The heist

A cargo van belonging to HL Cargo, located in Ahmedabad’s Narol, carrying parcels of silver and imitation jewellery, was intercepted by seven to eight robbers on Mar 5 at around 10 p.m. near Limbdi.

The thieves waved something assumed to be a revolver at the driver-cleaner and looted 107 kg of silver and 22 kg of imitation jewellery at gunpoint.

The robbers immediately fled towards Vadodara, prompting Vadodara police and the Ahmedabad crime branch to alert the Vadodara city police commissioner.

In this regard, Vadodara crime branch PI (police inspector) Hetal Tuwar, PI MF Chaudhari, and PI HI Bhati were deployed for surveillance.

Following this, the police intercepted a rickshaw near Harni Road and nabbed 55 kg of silver and imitation jewellery associated with the Limbdi theft.

The police arrested Yakutpura’s Sanjay Rajput, the rickshaw driver, his daughter Tejal, alias Ayesha Matliwala, and his son-in-law, Asif, alias Imran Kader Matliwala.

Their interrogation revealed the involvement of notorious criminals Shiva alias Mahalingam alias Aftab Murugan Pillai and his associate Sikandar Langha, in this case, who handed over these goods around two days ago to the trio for selling them.

Vadodara police have contacted their counterparts in Surendranagar to hand over the accused for further proceeding with the probe into this case.

Vadodara crime branch PI revealed that Shiva has been noted in 24 serious crimes, including three murders, robberies, assaults, and arms act violations at Ahmedabad, Rajkot, and Vadodara, among other locations.

Similarly, Langha has been booked for six serious crimes, like murder and arms act violations, among others.

The police probe also traced a woman and a man associated with the notorious criminals, and an investigation was launched to ascertain their involvement.

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