Armed robbers storm Bihar Tanishq store, loot jewellery worth Rs 25 crore; two held after high-speed chase

The robbers took almost everything that was on display at the store. (Courtesy: X | PTI)

Six masked men stormed a Tanishq showroom in Bihar's Ara on Monday morning and robbed off jewellery worth Rs 25 crore along with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The armed men, who pretended to be customers, entered the showroom soon after it opened at 10:30 am. CCTV footage shows the gang ordering customers and staff to raise their hands as they carried out the robbery and packed the stolen items into bags before escaping on three motorbikes.

A police patrol vehicle then began chasing the robbers, which ultimately led to a shootout leaving two of the suspects injured. Both have been taken into custody, while the others are still at large, police said.

"The robbers were signalled to stop while they were on their motorbike, but they started going even faster. A patrol vehicle tried to stop them, and a chase ensued. After some distance, the criminals abandoned their motorcycle and fled on foot while firing at the police. The team fired back in self-defence, hitting the legs of two of the fleeing criminals," Bhojpur Superintendent of Police Raj said.

The two men, identified as Vishal Gupta from Dighwara in Saran and Kunal Kumar from Semra in Sonpur, are currently receiving medical treatment for their injuries. Two pistols, 10 cartridges, and two bags filled with stolen jewellery were recovered from them.

"The robbers took almost everything that was on display at the store," store manager Kumar Mritunjay said.

Recalling the ordeal, the security guard of the showroom said that one of the robbers assaulted him and snatched his rifle. "According to our policy, large numbers of people are not allowed to come inside at the same time, so they entered in pairs. When the sixth man came in, he pointed a pistol at my head and assaulted me. They also snatched my rifle," he said.

The robbers locked the shutters and proceeded to ransack the showroom for approximately half an hour, the staff informed.

According to the Bhojpur SP, a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the case. The SP said that roadblocks have been set up at various locations to intercept the fleeing suspects.