Jeweller fends off armed robbers with wooden stick in Thane; one held

Thane: A jeweller thwarted a robbery attempt at his shop in Thane city on Wednesday using a wooden stick to fend off four men carrying revolvers, police said.

During the incident, one of the robbers discharged a firearm. Fortunately, nobody was injured, Deputy Commissioner of Police Amar Singh Jadhav said. The exact timing of the firing — whether fired inside the shop or while fleeing — is still under investigation.

Local people chased gang members and overpowered one of them, subsequently handing him over to police, a senior police inspector said.

"Four robbers carrying revolvers entered a jewellery shop in Balkum area around noon and threatened the shopkeeper. They hit him," he said.

As the robbers were trying to steal jewellery, the shopkeeper raised an alarm and charged at the robbers with a wooden stick, causing them to flee, the police officer said.

A police team from Kapurbawdi police station reached the spot shortly after receiving the information and detained the suspect into custody. A manhunt was launched for three other members of the gang.

CCTV footage of the incident has gone viral on social media.

Police are investigating and registering a case.