Patna: A 28-year-old man was shot dead when armed miscreants opened fire during a failed robbery attempt at a jewellery shop in Gopalganj district on Friday evening.
Sequence of Events
According to police and eyewitnesses, five bike-borne criminals stormed a jewellery shop at Lala Chapar market under Bhore police station area and attempted to loot it at gunpoint. However, locals quickly gathered at the spot and resisted the robbery. As the crowd swelled, the miscreants tried to flee and resorted to indiscriminate firing.
Dablu Mishra (28), a resident of Sisai village, sustained a bullet injury and died on the spot. During the chaos, one of the robbers' motorcycles failed to start, allowing locals to chase and overpower two of the accused. The duo was beaten up by the mob before being handed over to the police. One of them, who suffered a head injury, was admitted to sadar hospital.
Angry residents also vandalised and set afire the abandoned motorcycle. Eyewitnesses said the remaining three accused opened fire while escaping to help their associates, during which Mishra was hit.
Shop Owner's Account
Shopowner Deepak Verma said his establishment had also been targeted in a robbery three years ago. "Five armed men entered the shop again today. They fled after locals arrived and opened fire while escaping," he said.
Police Response
Hathua SDPO Anand Mohan Gupta said locals showed courage in confronting the criminals. "Two miscreants were caught on the spot, while three managed to escape after firing. However, all three were arrested within three hours of the incident," he said.
Police have recovered a revolver and a motorcycle from the spot. The arrested accused are being interrogated to ascertain the involvement of others.
