Malik had been trading in gold for a long time. However, he was in debt of Rs 40 lakh. To repay the loan, he planned to rob the shop of another gold merchant, Muthollah Malik. As per the plan, he formed a five-member gang, which planned to rob Mutullah Malik’s jewellery shop in Kalaburagi, Karnataka.

On the day of the robbery, four of the gang’s five men entered the shop with their faces covered. They showed a pistol-like lighter to scare Muthullah Malik. He then tied his hands and legs with a rope and put his clothes in his mouth and slipped them with tape. They looted gold and jewellery worth Rs 2.15 crore by switching off the CCTV cameras of the shop.

Muthlullah Malik mentioned in his complaint to the police that the incident took place on July 11 at 12:15 pm. Four men barged into the shop and threatened them with guns and knives. Based on the complaint, The Kalaburagi Police immediately formed five teams to investigate the matter.

TAG_OPEN_p_19 Analysis of CCTV footage from the scene confirmed that only four people entered the shop, but five were seen outside. Four people threw away their mobile phones, but the fifth person’s mobile could not be traced.

Other CCTV footage from

area showed a man at a pav bhaji shop. His mobile number was recovered from there, from which the mastermind of the incident, Farooq Malik, was identified.

According to the investigation, Ayodhya Prasad Chauhan, despite being a resident of Uttar Pradesh, sells clothes on footpaths in Mumbai. TAG_OPEN_p_17 Suhail was involved in petty criminal activities such as mobile theft. Farooq Malik, who hails from West Bengal, deals in gold in Kalaburagi. Arbaaz and Sajid are locals.

Malik was outside the shop without entering the shop at the time of the incident. He fled from the spot after the robbery. However, the police traced the contact number through his mobile and reached all the members.

Kalburgi Police Commissioner Dr. S. Sharanappa said, “Farooq Malik used a different mobile phone during the robbery. However, pav used another number while paying bhaji. It was from this number that we managed to reach out to him. ’’

} He added, “CCTV footage shows only four people entering the shop. The fifth person stayed outside without going to the shop and bought pav bhaji became the decisive clue. The man was Malik. ’’

Police recovered 2.8 kg of gold and jewellery. However, the other side of the incident came to light when Muthollah Malik claimed to the police that only 850 grams of gold had been stolen. During the investigation of the bookkeeping, it was found that he did not show the account of two kilograms of gold.

Police have registered TAG_OPEN_p_12 a separate case alleging irregularities in his financial statements. Also, it has been revealed that the loot gang is involved at the inter-state level. They have 10 to 15 criminal cases registered against them at different places.