Kingpin of jewel thieves' gang arrested in Mumbai

MEERUT: Nine days after a sensational ​robbery in broad daylight at a renowned jewellery showroom in Meerut​, police arrested six members of a gang whose chief was nabbed in Mumbai, where he had recently been recruiting Muzaffarnagar-based bodybuilders to commit crimes.

Shubham Tyagi, the kingpin, had shifted to Mumbai to be with his girlfriend who works as a dancer in a Mumbai bar, said police officials.

The robbery took place when Ankur Jain, the owner of Arihant Jewellers in Sadar Bazaar was opening his shop on the morning of June 16. A gang of six men allegedly held him up at gunpoint and robbed him of a bag full of silver jewellery and cash. Much before Jain could raise the alarm, the robbers fled from the spot. The crime was caught on CCTV camera and the robbers’ faces were clearly captured in the footage, which helped police to arrest the culprits.

Tyagi, the gang leader who hails from Muzaffarnagar had recently formed a gang by recruiting bodybuilders from local gyms here.

Ravinder Gaur, SSP, Meerut, said, “With the help of this gang, Tyagi had started a ‘business’ of ‘settling’ property disputes in Mumbai. His existence was actually revealed by six of his gang members who we arrested on charges of robbing the jeweller.”

Police sources further revealed that, owing to his extravagant lifestyle, Tyagi needed more money, so he asked his men to execute high-stakes robberies. Police recovered 4 kg of silver ornaments, Rs 17,000 in cash and two countrymade weapons. Besides, a car with Maharashtra registration numbers was also seized.

“When we contacted Mumbai police with an aim to arrest Tyagi, we got to know that he was already in jail under Arms Act for possessing illegal weapons. He was arrested on Wednesday from Palghat area in Mumbai,” said Gaur.

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