Patna, April 3 (IANS) Armed criminals carried out a major daylight robbery at a jewellery shop in Bihar’s Darbhanga district on Friday, looting valuables worth nearly Rs 1.8 crore and raising fresh concerns over law and order in the state.

The incident occurred at around 2.55 p.m. at “Prem Jewellers” in the busy Bara Bazar area under the Nagar Police Station limits.

According to shop owner Manoj Kumar, four armed miscreants entered the showroom, held customers and staff hostage at gunpoint, and executed the robbery within minutes.

“They abused and assaulted people. We were terrified and did not resist. They even tried to destroy the CCTV DVR and Wi-Fi system,” Kumar said.

Preliminary estimates suggest that gold and silver jewellery worth around Rs 1.5 crore, along with Rs 22–25 lakh in cash, was looted. As the shop operates on a wholesale basis, supplying ornaments to smaller traders, a large volume of stock was present at the time. The exact loss will be confirmed after inventory verification.

The robbery took place in one of the city’s busiest commercial hubs, with allegations that police reached the spot nearly half an hour after the incident.

Senior officials, including DIG Manoj Tiwari and SSP Jagannath Reddy, rushed to the scene and initiated a high-level probe. The SSP confirmed the incident.

Police said the accused are believed to be between 25 and 30 years of age, with at least one suspect unmasked. CCTV footage is being analysed, and district-wide checkpoints have been set up to track down the culprits.

In contrast, a recent robbery case in Patna saw swift police action. Last Tuesday, four armed criminals looted jewellery worth Rs 4 lakh from a shop in the Danapur area. Acting promptly, police formed a special investigation team under senior officers.

Using CCTV footage and technical surveillance, the team tracked the suspects’ movements and mobile locations. Within two days, all four accused were arrested from locations outside Patna. Police recovered a significant portion of the stolen jewellery, along with illegal weapons and the motorcycle used in the crime.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the robbery was carried out after reconnaissance with the help of a local insider. The accused, natives of Siwan and Saran districts, have confessed during interrogation. Police are now probing possible links to other robbery cases.

The contrast between the swift resolution of the Patna case and the brazen Darbhanga heist has intensified debate over policing and security preparedness in Bihar. The latest incident has sparked concern among traders and residents, especially in busy market areas.

Authorities said efforts are underway to apprehend the culprits at the earliest and restore public confidence.

–IANS

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