Rajkot: A high-value dacoity in an industrial suburb of Rajkot has been cracked within eight days, with police arresting three persons, recovering over Rs 76 lakh and identifying the alleged mastermind.Rajkot Rural police said the June 20 dacoity in Shapar-Veraval was carried out by a six-member gang that stormed the house of 77-year-old Jitendrasinh Jadeja around 1.30am. The gang assaulted Jadeja and fled with Rs 2.47 crore in cash, seven tolas of gold ornaments, mobile phones and a licensed rifle.Police arrested Bansingh alias Banna Singad, Setan Amaliyar and Dinesh Parmar. They recovered Rs 43.18 lakh in cash, gold ornaments worth Rs 21.22 lakh, an SUV allegedly used in the crime and two stolen motorcycles, taking the total recovery to over Rs 76 lakh. Five persons, including the alleged mastermind Kamalsing Singad, remain absconding.Deputy inspector general of police, Rajkot range, Nirlipt Rai said, “Investigators reviewed footage from over 1,000 CCTV cameras and mapped the routes the suspects used to arrive and flee.”Investigators said Bansingh revealed that his cousin Kamalsing had learned that there was a large amount of cash at the victim’s residence and devised a “big loot plan”. The group conducted reconnaissance on foot, even measuring the distance between the house and the nearest police station. Police believe the migrant workforce in the area helped the gang move about without attracting suspicion.After the robbery, the accused fled on stolen motorcycles before switching to Parmar’s SUV. Anticipating checkpoints, they abandoned the stolen rifle near Dholara to avoid being caught with a firearm.Police said the gang later split the cash, after which Parmar went to the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain.Superintendent of police Vijay Singh Gurjar said the gang planned its escape carefully. “The gang was organised. The suspects intentionally avoided using mobile phones and bypassed major cities, junctions and toll plazas to avoid detection. Their SUV was captured on CCTV only once, at the Bharudi toll plaza,” he said.The probe gained momentum when police found an abandoned motorcycle on Dholara Road. Officers used drones to scan the Vidi area near Hirasar Airport, where they located two more stolen motorcycles, hidden inside an industrial estate.Investigators then analysed mobile phone location data from the estate and matched it with data from the crime scene, which helped identify the suspects’ mobile numbers. The leads took police to the Gujarat-Madhya Pradesh border, where the arrests were made.Police are trying to trace Kamalsing Singad and four other accused. They are also probing who tipped off the gang about the cash at the residence.While Kamalsing’s son and son-in-law work as labourers in Shapar, police said there is no evidence linking them to the crime. During questioning, his son told investigators that he had cut ties with his father long ago because of his criminal activities.BOXSuspect softened with chocolatePolice said questioning Bansingh alias Banna Singad, who has two previous dacoity cases in Madhya Pradesh, initially yielded little. Investigators said he is a seasoned criminal familiar with interrogation methods and refused to reveal information.The breakthrough came when local crime branch inspector J P Rau learnt of Bansingh’s fondness for chocolate. Instead of relying only on conventional questioning, officers offered him chocolates and gradually built rapport.As he got more comfortable, he disclosed details of the conspiracy, including the identities of gang members, the planning behind the robbery and their escape route. Police said Bansingh’s inputs proved crucial to the other arrests and the recovery of stolen property.
