Killers of Mathura jewellers arrested after encounter
AGRA: In a major breakthrough in the case of loot and killing of two jewellers in Mathura, the police on Saturday arrested the six robbers after a brief encounter in which six police personnel were injured in Choubeyapada area of Mathura.
The cops recovered gold and diamond jewellery worth about Rs 20 lakh and Rs 10,000 cash from their possession.
The arrested miscreants, all residents of Mathura, were identified as Rakesh alias Ranga, the leader of the gang, two of his brothers — Kameesh alias Chini and Neeraj — and Aditya, Aiyush and Chotu.
Three of them -- Ranga, Chini and Neeraj -- were injured in the encounter and referred to SN Hospital of Agra.
“Police tracked down the gang members to Hanuman Gali in Choubeyapada area of Mathura. They were hiding there since the night of the crime,” said additional director general of police (Agra Zone) Ajay Anand.
“The six accused have been arrested. Three of them were injured in the encounter that lasted for about two-and-a-half hours,” Anand told Hindustan Times.
Rakesh is a resident of Choubeyapada and has a criminal record. He was recently released from jail. Cops said various cases are pending against him in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Mathura.
On May 15, the six armed robbers came on motorbikes and barged into a jewellery shop in Koyala Wali Gali in Holi Gate area of Mathura and opened fire, killing two jewellers and injuring two others, before escaping with cash and jewellery worth several lakhs, unchallenged.
The deceased jewellers were Vikas Agarwal and Megh Agarwal. The incident had created a flutter in the state with chief minister Yogi Adityanath declaring in the assembly that the case would be solved soon. DGP Sulkhan Singh visited Mathura and the STF personnel were camping there.
Five police personnel were suspended following the incident.
The arrests took place a day after bullion traders observed a statewide bandh demanding arrest of the assailants. All 1,445 jewellery shops in Lucknow, along with 16,770 shops in other parts of the state were closed. Jewellers also took out a scooter rally in Mathura and staged dharnas in Lucknow and Kanpur.Family members of one of the killed jewellers also sat on a dharna in Mathura on Thursday. They ended their protest after officials sought two days to arrest the accused.