JAIPUR: A cashier at Punjab National Bank (PNB) is fighting for life after being shot at on Friday while thwarting two armed men from robbing its Jaipur branch which, inexplicably, did not have a guard.
Narendra Singh Shekhawat (49) waged a lone battle despite multiple gunshot wounds to defend the branch on Joshi Marg and forced the robbers to retreat. This eventually led the two robbers to be arrested with the help of locals and cops. One of the robbers was pinned down by a woman constable who happened to be passing by.
Shekhawat's wife is a homemaker and the couple have two kids. "Doctors said his kidney is damaged and may have to be removed. They have also reported damage to his intestine," said a relative.
Additional police commissioner Kailash Chandra Bishnoi said the robbers - Bharat Meena (36) and Manoj Meena (29) - were cousins, and described the former as the mastermind. Both are from Rajasthan. Jaipur police chief Biju George Joseph said the two are being questioned to ascertain whether they were involved in other such robberies.
According to Bishnoi, the robbers entered PNB at 9.45am, before it opened for business and when only few staff were present. "One stood guard at the gate and the other ordered employees, including the manager, to huddle in a cabin," Bishnoi said.
Shekhawat came in moments later and instantly took on Bharat and Manoj. A scuffle ensued in which Shekhawat managed to pin down one of the robbers in a chokehold and grabbed the other by his neck, said eyewitnesses.
Later, Bharat fired three shots from his country-made revolver at Shekhawat from close range. He fired a fourth shot, but that ricocheted off and hit Manoj's leg, said cops.
As Bharat made a dash for the gate , constable Mainka Kumari, passing by the area, caught him with help of some locals. Manoj escaped into the lanes, running with a limp before his trail of blood marks gave him away and helped cops arrest him.
ACP Bishnoi said Shekhawat and Mainka would be recommended for bravery awards.
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