Surat: Two men were arrested for allegedly attempting to rob a woman at gunpoint on VIP Road in Vesu on Sunday night. Police recovered a country-made pistol, live cartridges, a knife and two stolen vehicles from the accused.According to a complaint filed by Vandana Surti (48), a resident of Bhatar, she was out with her husband, Himanshu, on Sunday night. At around 9.30 pm, the couple stopped near the Avadh Miliana – For Select Few society to have soda. While her husband went to a nearby paan shop to buy soda, Surti remained seated in the car and was talking to her daughter over the phone.According to the complaint, one of the accused entered the car, sat in the driver’s seat and held a knife to her neck. Moments later, the second man entered the vehicle and pointed a gun at her. The duo demanded that she hand over her gold ornaments.When Surti refused, the men tried to snatch her bangles and chain, injuring her in the process. She then opened the car door and attempted to escape as the man in the driver’s seat tried to drive away. Hearing her screams, people gathered at the spot. During the attempted escape, the accused rammed the car into a large stone before fleeing into a nearby under-construction building.Vesu police personnel patrolling the area rushed to the spot and apprehended both the accused, Mehtab Abdul Salam and Roshan Bundu Sefi, residents of Kanshi village in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district. Police also seized the weapons and live cartridges used in the attempted robbery.Vesu police inspector J A Rathwa told TOI that preliminary investigations revealed that the duo had arrived in Surat from Meerut on Oct 6 and were staying at Hotel Nice near the railway station.“Further investigation revealed that they had allegedly stolen a moped and a motorcycle from different parts of the city to attempt a loot. We recovered both vehicles,” Rathwa said.A case has been registered against the accused for attempted robbery involving weapons. Police are also investigating whether the duo was involved in other criminal activities.
