Brother-sister, who looted 14 kg gold in Ahmedabad, nabbed

Ahmedabad: In a quick breakthrough in the sensational 14 kg gold loot from a cash logistic company in the city yesterday the crime branch of Ahmedabad police has arrested the brother-sister duo who committed the crime to get rid of debt caused by their luxurious life-style and recovered the looted gold.

An official of the crime branch today said that one Sagar Bhagchandani and his sister Pinky (both quite young and from a well-to-do family) have been nabbed from their residence on the 8 th floor of Indraprastha Apartment under Vastrapur police station area of the city. Almost all the around 14.2 kg gold lifted by them and the motorcycle used for the crime has been recovered. Initial interrogation revealed that they had committed the crime to get rid of heavy debt caused by their luxurious life style. They had done reiky of the office of the company for two days prior to committing the crime. It was also being investigated whether any insider of the company was involved in the crime or not.

The official said that on the basis of the images of the motorcycle seen in the CCTV footage and the jacket worn by Pinky during crime, police caught them. When the police reached their home they were not there but the looted gold was recovered from there. Soon the duo was also nabbed.

Around 14 kg gold, worth over Rs 4 crore, was looted from a multinational cash logistic company’s vault situated in its office near Mithakali in Navrangpura police station area of Ahmedabad late Friday night.

The sensational loot in a plush area of the commercial capital of Gujarat was recorded in the CCTV camera fitted inside the office of SIS Cash Services, a joint venture with Prosegur of Spain, one of the largest cash logistics service provider in India, which provides cash in transit, ATM replenishment and safekeeping of of valuables such as jewellery, bullion and cash among other such services.

The brother and sister wearing masks had entered the office premises of SIS Prosegur after mid night between 2 to 3 am yesterday and injured one of the security gunman on duty there who fainted after several blows on his head by the looters with some blunt object . They then entered the vault and decamped with around 14 kg gold kept in a box.

UPDATE: Police briefing:

– Accused girl Pinky is B.Com. She is daughter from first wife of her father while accused boy is son of second wife of father. Accused girl is 6 year older than younger brother. Both are step brother-sister.

-Accused boy Sagar is BBA second year students in GLS college. He is 18. He was into heavy debt. He has Rs 11 lakh debt due to satta betting in cricket game while other debt in Caffe Qawali hookah bar. He had taken Rs 1.5 lakh from Nandu Desai. Nandu Desai and Karan Desai who had lended money to accused boy Sagar were applying too much pressure and forcing Sagar to get 175% amount including interest.

-Accused Sagar used to visit Janpath tower often for mobile phone related works. ‘Cash logistic’ company’s sign board was spotted by him on this regular route. He was not knowing there could be be gold too in this ‘Cash logistic’ company premises. Accused had planned theft in this company for last fifteen days.

-Mother of both accused was extending cooperation in this task. In WhatsApp messages, mother gave blessings to accused for success of task. She also advised accused to apply powder on hands to evade finger print evidence.

-Police could detect this crime after in nearby CCTV footage at 3.00 around clock a white bike was seen on which two persons were going. It was Honda CBR bike. Sagar 18 year second year BBA in GLS

-Both accused jumped from wall which separates the place of theft from neighboring house which is abandoned. Accused had brought hammer with them from home, but iron rode was found from neighboring house from which they jumped the wall. Accused girl was working in bank.

– There were two security guards at cash logistic company premises. There were four-five cars parked there. One guard was sleeping in car. He was drunk. The other guard was sleeping, but woke up and reached toilet when accused girl attacked him with hammer. Accused boy attacked the guard with iron rode. When guard went inside toilet, both accused locked him inside. He was in fainted condition. When he could collect strength to speak, he shouted through exhaust fan space.The other guard who was drunk and sleeping in car woke up and opened the door of toilet. Drunk guard informed police through phone about the incident. Police has booked drunk guard.

-Accused broke a lock of locker room using iron rode. They entered inside and saw two boxes. While one box had gold, the other was empty. Brother sister tried to break the box. With further attempts they opened the box and pulled out 14 kg gold to put it in bag.

-When Police saw CCTV footage, it was clearly grasped that one of two accused was lady. Police probed into employees of the company through local police and DCP and probed into local leads through Sector-1. On other leads regarding suspected persons, the Crime Branch was on the job.

-Seeing CCTV footage, police got a clear idea that here were two new persons involved in theft. The way they were trying to break the door, it was very clear that they were not professional thieves. To get leads regarding these newer persons, we decided to utilize the services of electronic media. We gave CCTV footage to news channels. Due to telecast, police started receiving lot of information privately.

After theft, accused went to their mother. In the morning they called lender Nandu Desai at petrol pump and gave him 500 gram gold. Of this 400 gram gold was taken by Nandu while 100 gram was taken by Karan Desai. Father of accused took responsibility of rest of gold. Accused tried to remove color of their cloths through bleaching powder. Father of accused has abandoned house in Vastral where some portion of gold was to be kept while rest of the gold was kept at Indraprasth based house.

-13.50 kg gold has been recovered by police already while process to recover rest of the gold is going on. Two accused are in police custody and being interrogated. Mother and father are to be arrested now. Police has recovered bleaching water. When accused was climbing was wall, he suffered slight injury. Blood drops have been found there. Police has obtained serial number of gold from the company and it has been matched. Police has formed team to arrest Nandu and Karan to arrest them and recover gold from them. Police is going to take help from forensic laboratory for successful conviction.

– One accused had kept mobile phone in pocket while other had kept it in dickey.

DeshGujarat