Rajkot: In a brazen robbery that alarmed the trading community, two armed men stormed an angadia office on Thursday morning and fled with Rs 19 lakh in cash in less than 20 seconds in one of the city’s busiest jewellery trading areas.Two armed men allegedly assaulted an employee of an angadia firm at gunpoint and fled with Rs 19 lakh in cash from a branch office on Bhavnagar Road, around 10.30am, police said.Alkesh Dave, an employee of Prime Enterprise Angadia, lodged a complaint with B Division police station against the two unidentified men for robbery and for robbery with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt and offences under the Arms Act.According to the FIR, Dave left home on Thursday carrying cash in two bags. After delivering one bag at the firm’s head office on Gondal Road, he arrived at the Bhavnagar Road branch with the second bag containing Rs 19 lakh and put it on a table.Police said the office had been open for barely a minute and a half when two men entered posing as customers.One of them told Dave in Gujarati that he wanted to transfer Rs 2 lakh. As Dave attended to him, the man grabbed him by the neck and punched him in the face.His accomplice allegedly pointed a gun at Dave and picked up the cash bag.Dave tried to stop the robbers and chased them outside the office, leading to a brief scuffle.People from nearby shops and establishments rushed out on hearing the commotion. One man brandished the firearm and threatened bystanders, allowing the pair to escape.Police said the duo fled on a motorcycle and sped away towards Bhavnagar Road.“We are examining CCTV footage and using technical surveillance and human intelligence to identify and apprehend the robbers,” said deputy commissioner of police (crime) Jagdish Bangarwa.The incident heightened security concerns among traders in the Pedak Road, Sant Kabir Road and Bhavnagar Road areas. The area is a hub for the wholesale trade of imitation and silver jewellery. Angadia firms in the area routinely handle large amounts of cash and transport consignments of precious metals.
