A brazen daylight robbery at a jewellery store in Hyderabad's Nagaram area left the owner severely injured and the assailants fleeing with a significant quantity of gold on Friday evening. The incident, marked by violence and threats involving a child, has sent shockwaves through the local community.
The Orchestrated Attack
The victim, identified as Sandeep Gehloth, was present in his shop with his eight-year-old son when the crime unfolded. Initially, two men entered the premises posing as customers interested in buying jewellery. While Sandeep was engaged with this duo, the situation escalated rapidly as two more individuals stormed into the store. One of the newcomers wore a helmet, and the other had his face concealed with a mask. They were armed with an axe and a pistol.
The masked assailants immediately cornered and threatened the two customers who were already inside. In a harrowing moment, when Sandeep's young son attempted to climb over the counter to escape, one of the robbers pointed the pistol directly at the boy to intimidate him.
Violent Assault and Loot
Displaying extreme aggression, one of the accused vaulted over the display counter and began savagely attacking Sandeep Gehloth with the axe. Simultaneously, his accomplice started ransacking the cupboards and swiftly collecting gold ornaments. The police report indicates that the robbers made off with approximately four tolas of gold jewellery.
Even as one attacker began fleeing with a bag stuffed with the loot, the injured shop owner continued to resist. In response, both assailants turned on Sandeep, subjecting him to further attack before finally escaping from the scene.
Aftermath and Investigation
The aftermath of the robbery was chaotic. Sandeep's wife, who had called her husband, learned about the terrifying incident over the phone. By the time she could reach the store, her husband had already been rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was admitted for treatment of serious head injuries sustained during the axe attack.
The Keesara police, who are leading the investigation, recovered the pistol used by the criminals from the shop. Upon examination, the weapon was found to be a dummy pistol. Investigators revealed to the media that they have gathered several clues from the scene. Based on their initial findings, they suspect the accused individuals are from Hyderabad itself.
A key line of inquiry involves analysing the CCTV footage from the shop and surrounding areas to identify and trace the culprits. "Teams are working to trace them," confirmed the police, expressing confidence in cracking the case soon. The search for the violent robbers continues as the community hopes for a swift arrest.
