A key suspect involved in the loot of 75 kg of silver in Mathura was killed in a police encounter near the Agra border. The looted booty has also been recovered, police said.
SP City Rajeev Kumar Singh confirmed the encounter and said the police had received a tip-off about the movement of the criminals. According to officials, late Thursday, the police intercepted a numberless SUV, but the suspects refused to stop and opened fire while trying to flee. In retaliatory firing, two suspects, identified as Rahul and Neeraj from Agra, were injured. Both were taken to the district hospital, where Neeraj succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
The incident is linked to a major robbery that took place on Tuesday evening near Hindustan Inter College in Mathura, where armed miscreants looted 75 kilograms of silver worth approximately Rs 1 crore from a jeweler’s sons.
Harim Om Soni, a businessman from Mathura’s Paanch area, had sent his sons Gaurav and Kanhaiya to Agra to collect silver on July 30. While returning, bike-borne assailants intercepted their vehicle, held them at gunpoint, and fled with the silver. The robbers also abducted the victims in their car, heading towards Achnera Road.
Spotting a police checkpoint ahead, the robbers changed course towards Mathura and later dumped Gaurav and Kanhaiya about 10 km from the crime scene. They then abandoned the vehicle near Bhimnagar Pulia on the Delhi-Agra National Highway after unloading the stolen silver.
Following the incident, SP City Singh had formed eight special teams to track down the culprits. While one team was analyzing CCTV footage from the area of the robbery, others were collecting leads from local residents.
After 48 hours of investigation, the police received credible input about the presence of the suspects in the Farah police station area near the Agra-Mathura border. Acting swiftly, the police laid a trap. When the suspects were confronted, they opened fire, leading to the encounter.
The police have recovered the looted silver and are continuing their efforts to apprehend the remaining accomplices.