Two men who reportedly broke into a jewellery shop in Sanjan, Valsad, found themselves trapped inside after alert residents pulled down the shutter. With an angry crowd gathering outside, the accused allegedly had no option but to call the police themselves for help.
In a bizarre twist to an alleged burglary attempt, two men who reportedly broke into a jewellery shop in Sanjan, Valsad, found themselves trapped inside after alert residents pulled down the shutter. With an angry crowd gathering outside, the accused allegedly had no option but to call the police themselves for help.
The incident unfolded in the early hours of Wednesday when a 112 response team arrived at the spot and rescued the duo. Both men were subsequently arrested.
The accused were identified as Dinesh alias Chandrashankar alias Santosh Sonkar, 32, who is currently living in Boisar East, and Vipin alias Gaurav Pathak, 27, a resident of Nalasopara East. According to police, both hail from Palghar district in Maharashtra and are originally from Uttar Pradesh.
Investigators said the duo travelled by train from Palghar to Umargam before making their way to the market area in Sanjan. They allegedly targeted B J Jewellers and began their operation around 2am, using a cutter to break the shop’s shutter lock.
The suspects reportedly paused their efforts at regular intervals to avoid drawing attention. However, their carefully planned operation began to unravel following a power outage in the area, which heightened residents’ vigilance.
A friend of jeweller Manish Sharma, who lives close to the shop, woke up and allegedly spotted the two men tampering with the shutter. He immediately alerted Sharma and rushed towards the shop. By then, however, the duo had already managed to enter the premises.
The resident then pulled down the shutter and raised an alarm. As more people gathered outside the locked shop, the alleged burglars reportedly became fearful of being attacked and made an unexpected move—they dialled the police emergency number 112 themselves.
Police said the accused told officers they were familiar with the 112 helpline in Palghar and decided to use the same emergency number after finding themselves trapped inside the jewellery shop in Gujarat.
A 112 response team soon reached the location and took both men into custody before the gathering could turn violent.
“The resident closed the shutter and called for help. His timely action helped police catch the accused,” said HD Tuvar, police inspector at Umargam police station.