Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Police cracked a high-stakes railway robbery in record time, arresting four suspects and recovering 2.9 kilograms of stolen gold bullion valued at approximately Rs 4 crore within hours of the incident, officials announced on Sunday. Joint operational detachments from the Ahmedabad Rural Police and the Government Railway Police (GRP) intercepted the fleeing gang near Viramgam following a coordinated pursuit on Saturday evening.
The robbery occurred around 5:00 PM on Saturday at Nadiad railway station in Kheda district. A courier employed by a jewellery firm had just arrived by train from Kolkata carrying consignments of gold when the assailants ambushed him on the platform premises and snatched the valuables. The courier pursued the suspects as they fled into the station parking lot and managed to capture photographs of their getaway vehicle, an action that provided investigators with crucial opening leads.
Upon reviewing railway station surveillance footage and processing the vehicle images, the Kheda GRP alerted the state police control room at around 7:30 PM. The Ahmedabad Rural Police immediately mapped likely flight corridors using vehicle registration tracking and mobile phone subscriber data, which showed the perpetrators heading northwest toward Banaskantha.
Guided by informant intelligence, police squads spotted the primary getaway car near Viramgam and noted a second, unnumbered vehicle tailing it. Teams from the Local Crime Branch and Viramgam Town Police blocked the road with a heavy truck to intercept the second car, detaining one suspect who disclosed that three associates were travelling just ahead with the stolen bullion.
Police laid an ambush along the highway led by police inspectors S A Gadhvi and Paresh Jani. When cornered, the suspects rammed their car directly into an official police vehicle and attempted to reverse at high speed to break the cordon. Inspector Gadhvi seized the moving car’s door handle and was dragged along the tarmac for nearly 500 metres before managing to reach inside the cabin, engage the handbrake, and bring the vehicle to a halt.
Assisting personnel swiftly overpowered the driver and passenger, while a fourth accomplice who ran into nearby fields was tracked down and arrested. Officers retrieved the entire consignment of stolen gold hidden inside the car’s upholstery and impounded both vehicles used during the operation. Senior government officials praised the joint police detachments for their swift mobilization and complete recovery of the stolen property.
