Times News Network
A video grab of the incident
Rajkot: City crime branch has arrested 10 persons — including a serving employee and a former worker of Tanvi Export India Ltd — for the robbery-murder in which an employee who was shot dead and bullion worth Rs 1.53 crore was stolen, in the Aji GIDC area on Wednesday evening.The victim, 53-year-old Lalji Sardhara, was carrying refined gold and silver from the company’s refinery to its jewellery manufacturing unit about 50 metres away when four masked men intercepted him, shot him and fled with the bullion in a car.Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Jagdish Bangarva said: “Investigators used human intelligence and technical surveillance to track down the accused.”Police said serving employee Shailesh Kumar Kherwa allegedly passed on information about bullion movements, while former employee Avinash Singh alias Lankesh allegedly masterminded the crime after being dismissed by the company.With assistance from Rajasthan Police, investigators arrested four persons at Pindwara in Sirohi district — with Lankesh and Anurag Singh Rajput among those travelling in the getaway car. Two others were held in Udaipur with the stolen gold and silver. Three accused were arrested in Morbi district, while Kherwa was detained in Rajkot.According to police, all 10 accused are from Uttar Pradesh. Investigators said the current and former employees gave the gang detailed knowledge of the movement of precious metals between the refinery and manufacturing unit.Sefinery staff usually made three or four trips a day to transport refined bullion. The accused knew the timings, routes and quantities carried, and chose the evening hours to carry out the robbery.Investigators said that on returning to UP after his dismissal, Lankesh conspired with Kherwa and recruited accomplices for the robbery. Police said Anurag Singh Rajput, a resident of Ghazipur district in Uttar Pradesh, fired the shot that killed Sardhara.According to the complaint filed at Thorala police station, company partner Bipin Virdiya stated that Tanvi Export India Ltd manufactures gold and silver jewellery at its unit on Aji GIDC Main Road and distributes products across the country.It runs a refinery about 50 metres from the manufacturing unit. Refined gold and silver are routinely transported between the two facilities by employees, sometimes accompanied by security personnel.On Wednesday, refinery staff told company partner Tushar Savaliya at about 7.15pm that a batch of refined bullion was ready. Around 7.30pm, Sardhara left on a two-wheeler with security guard Bavanji Babuji Padhiyar to collect the consignment.Police said Sardhara was carrying about 946g of gold bars and 2kg of refined silver dust, valued at Rs 1.53 crore. As he emerged from the refinery gate, four men allegedly attacked him. Despite resistance from the guard, one of the assailants opened fire and the group snatched the valuables.Company partners rushed to the spot after learning of the attack and took Sardhara to Madhuram Hospital, where he was declared dead.Those arrested are Vishal Singh Rajput, Shivam Gupta, Anurag Singh Rajput, Avinash Singh alias Lankesh, Ajit Pandey, Shivam Pandey, Aman Pandey, Pavan Chaubey, Niraj alias Arvind Tiwari and Shailesh Kumar Kherwa.Police will seek custodial interrogation of the accused to establish when the conspiracy was hatched, how the stolen valuables were to be divided, where the weapons were obtained and how long the gang conducted reconnaissance before the crime.
