The crime branch of Gujarat police arrested three persons from Deogarh and Boudh districts on Monday for allegedly looting diamonds worth Rs 85 lakh from Surat. They also recovered the looted ornaments with the help of Sambalpur Police.
The visiting police team took the accused on remand after producing them in a local court here. Those arrested are Laxman Biswal of Deogarh and Birendra Pradhan and Duryodhan Bishi of Boudh district.
Police said, the accused had developed a good relationship with diamond merchant Suresh Kantilal Mehta of Surat by buying diamonds from him on various occasions. On July 31, they again went to Surat and stayed in a hotel near Mahidharpura. They requested Mehta over phone to bring diamonds to the hotel as they wanted to buy diamonds worth more than Rs one crore.
Police said the accused had gagged and tied Mehta in the hotel room before fleeing with the diamonds. “Police came to know about the incident when the victim lodged a complaint after being rescued by the hotel staff,” a crime branch officer said.
Though police were unable to trace the accused initially because they had given wrong addresses, their cellphone let them down. “We traced them by tracking their cellphones and with the help of Sambalpur Police we arrested them and recovered the looted diamonds,” he said.
