Ahmedabad: Nearly two weeks after a businessman was allegedly robbed of 600 grams of gold by men posing as police officers near the airport, investigators have identified two serving policemen as suspects. The two, attached to the K Company, which provides escorts to prisoners, have gone missing after their names surfaced during the investigation, Airport police said on Wednesday.Airport police inspector A D Chavda said CCTV footage played a key role in the breakthrough. “The victims described the men involved in the robbery that took place on June 27. Cops scanned through CCTV footage and spotted the suspects, whose identities were then confirmed by the victims,” the inspector said.Junaid Arif, a 40-year-old rice mill trader from Tanda in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur district, told police that the gold was being delivered from Dubai as part of a business arrangement with Arbaaz, a resident of Godhra.According to the complaint, Arif had earlier dealt in garments sourced from Dubai through Arbaaz. On June 23, Arbaaz allegedly persuaded him to enter the gold trade, following which Arif arranged for a consignment of 600g of gold to be delivered in Ahmedabad. He authorised two relatives, Harish and Avesh, to collect it.
Gold heist near Ahmedabad airport
The complaint states that the two men received the gold from a person identified as Anwar at 7am on June 27. As they walked towards Sardar Statue Circle near the airport, they allegedly noticed a woman and two men following them.Police said a white car then intercepted the pair. The two men allegedly forced Harish and Avesh into the vehicle, claimed they were police personnel and assaulted Harish before taking the gold from his trouser pocket. The victims were later abandoned near Apollo Circle, while the accused fled with the consignment.According to the complaint, another car, described as an Indica, followed the white vehicle and was allegedly carrying the woman.During the investigation, police also examined the origin of the gold. Chavda said the complainant had initially told police that he did not possess the purchase invoice and would obtain it from Dubai later. The document was subsequently produced. “Prima facie, the gold appears to have been smuggled,” Chavda said, adding that the investigation is examining the source of the consignment and the entire delivery chain.Police are also scrutinising phone calls, WhatsApp conversations, and the roles of the unidentified woman, the delivery network and other persons named in the complaint.
