COURTESY HT DEC 10

Robber found shot dead in Mohali hours after armed loot attempt in Chandigarh
34-year-old and his two accomplices had fired at a goldsmith after trying to rob him of cash at his shop in Sector 23

Two of the robbers were caught on camera while fleeing from the goldsmith’s shop in Sector 23, Chandigarh; and (right) police investigating after the armed robbery bid. keshav singh/ht

HT Correspondent

chandigarh@hindustantimes.com

Mohali : Hours after attempting an armed robbery at a goldsmith’s shop in Sector 23, Chandigarh, one of the three suspects was found shot dead near Sector 86 in Mohali on Wednesday night.

The deceased was identified as Jaspreet Singh, 34, a resident of Manimajra. He was found dead in a pool of blood in his Tata Tigor’s driver’s seat, which was parked in Sambhakli village.

“We got information from Chandigarh Police that three men had fled after firing shots at a goldsmith’s shop in Sector 23. One of the three accused was found dead in his car near Sector 86,” said senior superintendent of police (SSP) Satinder Singh, adding that the deceased was shot point blank in the temple.

As per preliminary investigation, the SSP said it seemed the murder was a fallout of a scuffle between the three robbers. Efforts were on to identify the absconding accused, who were also on the radar of the Chandigarh Police for the armed robbery attempt earlier in the day.

The deceased was identified by his family members at the Mohali civil hospital’s mortuary. According to them, Jaspreet was married and unemployed.

The unidentified accused have been booked under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Arms Act, said, Daljit Singh Gill, station house officer, Sohana.

Goldsmith, brother had narrow escape

Earlier in the day, Jaspreet and his two accomplices had fired four shots at a goldsmith in an attempt to rob him of cash at his shop in Sector 23.

The victim, Dada Devgun, had a close shave as a bullet only brushed past his arm, while his brother, Sanjay Devgun, escaped completely unhurt, even as the robbers fled empty-handed.

According to police, the three accused were brought to the shop by a man named, Rohit, of Sector 15, after they approached him to sell their gold. He has been detained for questioning.

A live cartridge that got misfired and three shells were recovered from the crime spot. “The accused opened fired to rob the goldsmith. Two of them were caught on camera and we are trying to trace them,” said Vineet Kumar, superintendent of police (SP), City.

Accused posed as customers

Dada and Sanjay were at their shop around 3pm when Rohit, who is their acquaintance, brought three men, saying they had some gold to sell.

The men asked Sanjay to show them how much cash he had as they wished to sell a significant quantity of gold. When Sanjay showed them the cash he had in a bag, the trio tried to snatch it.

The brothers retaliated in response, after which two of the accused pulled out weapons and opened fire, before fleeing. Sanjay managed to restrain the third accused, but he also managed to flee after pushing him.

As the police were informed, SP Vineet Kumar, Sector 17 SHO Ram Rattan and teams of crime branch and operation cell reached the spot with a forensic team.

Meanwhile, Rohit also disappeared from the scene. He was later nabbed and detained for questioning, when he claimed that he got nervous as the shots were fired and therefore left for Sector 15.

According to Sanjay, he knew Rohit for the past six years and he worked with another jeweller.

A police official privy to the investigation said Rohit claimed that the robbers got in touch with him through an acquaintance.

While Rohit arrived at the shop on a scooter, the robbers came in a Hyundai Verna and drove off in it towards Sector 24.

A case under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 392 (robbery) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) of the IPC and Arms Act was registered at the Sector 17 police station