Two arrested for robbing Waghodia jeweller, four still at large

Vadodara: Vadodara rural police on Thursday arrested two members of the notorious Vasuniya gang for allegedly robbing a jeweller in Waghodia town 10 days ago, while four other accused remain absconding.

According to police, the six-member gang had meticulously planned the robbery after conducting a recce of the area and identifying jeweller Jignesh Shah as their target.

“Our team scanned over 450 CCTV footage clips from the area to identify and trace the movements of the robbers,” said Vadodara rural SP Sushil Agrawal.

Investigators found that after committing the robbery, the gang spent the night at a hospital in Goraj village of Waghodia before leaving for their native village in Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh the following day. Vadodara police coordinated with Madhya Pradesh police to track down the accused.

Two accused — Ramesh Parmar and Ramesh Tahed — were arrested, while Ramesh Vasuniya, Dulesh Vasuniya, Juvansingh Vasuniya and Jelu Vasuniya are still on the run.

Police said the gang members have multiple cases of loot, dacoity and offences under the Arms Act registered against them in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Juvansingh Vasuniya also faces charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

According to investigators, the gang arrived in Waghodia with the intention of targeting Shah, who regularly travelled home through an isolated stretch. On May 5, the accused conducted recce and tracked his movements.

The gang initially planned to attack and rob Shah on May 11, but aborted the attempt after he stopped midway to meet friends.

On May 12, the accused allegedly followed Shah on stolen motorbikes and intercepted him on the road. One gang member attacked him with a stick while another snatched a bag containing ornaments worth over Rs 4.5 lakh before fleeing the spot.

Police said the motorcycles used in the robbery had been stolen from Anand district.