Police warm themselves by bonfire as dacoits escape in Rajgarh:Shopkeepers recall 45 minutes of fear; criminals warned, ‘We will return’

Armed dacoits created panic in Rajgarh’s Sarafa Bazaar in the early hours of December 24, looting jewellery worth lakhs and killing an elderly trader, while police personnel who were supposed to patrol the area were absent. The incident, which lasted nearly 45 minutes just half a kilometre from the police station, has raised serious questions about night patrolling and police preparedness. Incident took place at 2 AM on Dec 24 The robbery occurred around 2 AM in Rajgarh’s Sarafa Bazaar. At that time, Dial 112 police personnel, who had become free after the IG’s visit, were warming themselves by a bonfire at Jhansi Wali Rani Square. They were supposed to be on patrol in the market area. During their absence, dacoits entered the bazaar and carried out a planned robbery before fleeing. 10–12 armed dacoits carried out the crime According to police and eyewitnesses, 10–12 armed dacoits were involved. They came equipped with slingshots, crowbars, rods and pistols. The criminals broke the locks of two jewellery shops and looted goods worth lakhs of rupees. Elderly jeweller killed inside shop An elderly merchant, who was sleeping inside one of the shops, was attacked with a crowbar. He died on the spot due to the fatal injuries. Some local youths showed courage and tried to chase the criminals. The dacoits fired shots and also pelted stones at them using slingshots to escape. Bhaskar ground report reveals police lapse On the night of December 25 at around 2 AM, a Bhaskar reporter inspected night patrolling in the city. At 2:54 AM, the reporter reached the Khilchipur checkpoint. A Dial 112 policeman present there admitted that the major incident happened due to police negligence. He said the criminals came from Guna district and fled in the same direction. While escaping, they threatened residents, saying, “We will come again.” Policeman admits mistake in area monitoring The policeman at Khilchipur naka said that one of the Dial 112 constables assigned to Sarafa Bazaar was new. A home guard was deployed with him. Because they were inexperienced, they could not fix the correct monitoring point. Although they initially patrolled the area on a bike, they later went to Jhansi Wali Rani Square to warm themselves due to severe cold. The robbery took place during this period. CCTV footage traces criminal movement The criminals were captured on CCTV cameras. Police are checking footage from highways, toll plazas and the Guna–Rajgarh route. Efforts are on to identify the suspects. A dog squad and fingerprint experts were also deployed to collect evidence from the crime scene. Well-planned robbery completed in just 6 minutes The dacoits were fully prepared. One youth carried a complete tool kit tied around his waist and supplied tools to others as needed. At Vijayvargiya’s jewellery shop, the entire operation — from breaking the shutter to looting — was completed in just six minutes. This showed professional planning. Silver bangles thrown while escaping Golu, a resident of Banswara, said the criminals tried to steal bikes while fleeing. They broke the lock of one bike and argued with Kamal Mewade from the locality. During the clash, Kamal was injured by stones fired from a slingshot. While escaping, the dacoits threw away silver bangles. Police later recovered six silver bangles. Criminals stole bike and issued threats After abandoning some loot, the miscreants stole a bike from the neighbourhood and fled. While leaving, they openly threatened residents, saying they would return. Pandit Narsingh Lal Lashkari (75), who lives in the Lakshmikant Temple complex, said he came out after hearing noise. Two miscreants threatened him and asked him to stay inside. Out of fear, he did not even switch on the lights and quietly informed neighbours. Hardware trader Murtaza Ali said the criminals attacked him with a slingshot. He said if he had not raised an alarm, the miscreants would have killed Patwari ji, who was sleeping inside a shop. The dacoits operated fearlessly between 3 AM and 3:45 AM across the market. Police reached after dacoits fled According to locals, after the criminals escaped, two patrolling policemen arrived and informed the police station. Around 30 minutes later, police vehicles reached the spot. By then, the dacoits had fled towards the highway via Muktidham Road through Banswara. Bike parked earlier near Muktidham The dacoits had parked a bike near Muktidham after crossing the big bridge. They entered Sarafa Bazaar on foot. After the robbery, they escaped towards Guna using the same parked bike. Police teams searched for the criminals up to Dand Jod but failed to catch them. Golu, who accompanied the police, said the dacoits looked fearless, while the policemen appeared scared. SP denies negligence by Dial 112 SP Amit Tolani rejected allegations of negligence. He said Dial 112 reached the spot within 10 minutes of receiving information. He also denied claims that police were tired due to the IG’s visit. According to him, the IG’s visit was meant to motivate staff. The criminals escaped on bikes through narrow routes. 5 special teams formed SP Amit Tolani said five special teams have been formed to investigate the case. CCTV footage is being analysed to find out how long the dacoits had been surveying Sarafa Bazaar, the routes they used to enter, and the direction in which they fled.