Karimnagar heist: Robbers shoot at staff, loot jewels worth crores

Hyderabad: In a daylight robbery at a jewellery shop in Karimnagar, four employees suffered bullet injuries after armed robbers opened fire and decamped with 1.6 kg of gold ornaments and 112-carat diamonds worth crores on Sunday. The CCTV footage of the theft later went viral on social media.Based on a complaint by the staff of PMJ jewellery shop in Jyothi Nagar, police booked a case under Section 309 (robbery) of the BNS and launched a manhunt for the robbers who are still at large.Cops said the robbery took place around 11 am, an hour after the store opened and staff brought out the jewellery from the strong room for display. Incidentally, on Saturday night, Karimnagar police had conducted naka-bandi across city as a precautionary measure."Initially, one man walked in posing as a customer and enquired about a gold chain. I showed him a few chains and he enquired about the cost and asked for a chain weighing 20 grams. Then he asked for a ring. Meanwhile, two other people walked into the store," said Kamal, a senior salesman who suffered a bullet wound."Subsequently, two more men came close to the store. I stopped them and checked with my superior, who from a distance signalled me to allow them inside, assuming they were also customers. Once all the five entered the store they pulled out their pistols," he added.In the CCTV footage from the store, the accused can be seen pointing their weapons at the staff and forcing them to gather at one particular spot. The men were then made to kneel down, while the women were seen sitting on the floor or standing in a corner. Of the five accused, four were seen holding the staff hostage while the fifth was spotted filling a sack with ornaments. Store staff said this continued for nearly 20 minutes.The recording showed that things took a dramatic turn when the sales manager, with the help of another colleague, tried to take on the robbers. They were, however, immediately overpowered. The footage showed one of the accused hitting a victim with the butt of a gun, even as the others watched shell-shocked. Later, the accused opened fire on the staff. The robbers fled the spot on two bikes immediately after the firing.According to investigators, three staff members suffered injuries in the shoulder, abdomen and leg."The fourth had a narrow escape as a bullet brushed against his head. All the four are out of danger and undergoing treatment. Special teams have been formed to track down the accused. Forensic teams are also at work to look for evidence," said Gaush Alam, commissioner of police, Karimnagar.Union minister of state for (home) and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay visited the store and spoke to the staff, who said that one of the accused was speaking in Telugu and others were speaking Hindi. While the faces of four accused have been clearly captured on camera, the fifth accused's identity is unknown as he was wearing a mask."They have been seen going towards Rajanna-Sircilla district. The registration numbers have not been captured clearly in any camera. We have announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for leads," a senior Karimnagar cop told TOI.