Three arrested in Rs-20 crore gold heist in Patna

Patna: Police on Friday arrested three members of a gang involved in a Rs-20 crore gold robbery, in which the accused posed as customs officers to dupe employees of a Gujarat-based jewellery firm.The gang allegedly looted 14.9 kg of gold from two employees who were travelling in an autorickshaw from Danapur to Bakerganj. The accused, dressed in white shirts and khaki pants, intercepted the auto near Khagaul overbridge, claimed to be customs officials, and seized three bags of gold on the pretext of inspection before fleeing.Police said 5.4 gm of gold, nine bullets and Rs1.97 lakh in cash were recovered from the arrested accused. The three—Amarnath alias Gopi, Aditya Giri alias Soni and Sanjay Kumar—were arrested from the Mehandiganj area.Patna SSP Kartikeya Sharma said the gang had been tracking the employees for nearly 18 months. “The mastermind is Amarnath, who planned the robbery. Guddu arranged the vehicle. After the crime, they fled to Naubatpur and later escaped by train,” he said.Sharma added that the gang learned to impersonate customs officers by watching videos on social. Around eight people were involved, and raids are underway in other states to nab the remaining accused.