IN A significant achievement, Chhattisgarh police have dismantled an inter-state gang involved in the Rs 5 crore gold heist at Rajesh Jewellers in Ramanujganj. S P Vaibhav Banker, during a press conference on Thursday, revealed that his team, with assistance from police in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh, arrested five suspects and recovered 3.354 kg of gold and other valuables worth Rs 2.40 crore. “The suspects were identified and tracked through coordinated raids across three states,” SP Banker told reporters. The robbery took place on September 11, when armed robbers stormed Rajesh Jewellers, attacking shop owner Rajesh Soni and his father Jagdish Prasad Soni. “They overpowered the shop’s employees, looted Rs 2.92 crore worth of gold and cash, and fled,” SP Banker said.

 

“We coordinated with the Chhattisgarh Sarafa Association (CSA) and Home Minister Vijay Sharma for broader cooperation”, he added. According to SP Banker, the suspects—Monu Soni alias Raj Soni, his brother Anant Soni, Rahul Mehta, Vicky Singh,and Arvind Soni—were nabbed after police teams, aided by cyber units, tracked their movements. SP Banker further revealed that Monu Soni and Anant Soni were arrested in Chainpur, Bihar, while Rahul Mehta and Vicky Singh were apprehended in Jharkhand and Bihar, respectively. “We also arrested Arvind Soni from Palamu, Jharkhand,” he added. Meanwhile, Kamal Soni, CSA President expressed his gratitude to the police.