In a daring daylight robbery, a gang of armed criminals looted jewellery worth crores rupees from the Tanishq showroom at Gopali Chowk in the Arrah police station area of Bhojpur district of Bihar on Monday, police officials said.

The loot included gold, silver, and diamond ornaments. The robbers first overpowered the security guard at the entrance, snatched his weapon, and assaulted him before carrying out the heist.

The incident triggered chaos in the area, with shopkeepers and bystanders left in shock.

Victim guard Manoj Kumar recounted the ordeal, stating that the showroom had opened at 10 a.m. on Monday, ahead of Holi. "Six criminals arrived in a car, parking it across the street. As per showroom policy, we do not allow groups of more than four to enter at once, so we permitted them entry in pairs. When the sixth person arrived, he held a pistol to my head, snatched my weapon, and assaulted me. Then, they started filling their bags with jewellery," he said.

During the heist, the criminals also attacked a salesman before fleeing with the valuables.

Following the incident, police officials, along with senior Tanishq company representatives from Patna, arrived at the showroom. The company is assisting the police in assessing the losses and investigating the case. 

News reports quoting the Store Manager of the showroom, Kumar Mrityunjay, said that jewellery worth crores was stolen from the shop. He said that it was being determined how much cash had been stolen.

Meanwhile, showroom employees alleged a delay in police response. "There were 8-9 armed criminals inside the showroom. When we called the police, they were still inside the showroom. Had the police arrived on time, the robbers might have been caught. But they kept saying they were on their way. By the time they reached, the criminals had already escaped," an employee said.  According them, the nearest police station from the showroom was barely 600 metres.

Bhojpur Superintendent of Police Raj was quoted as saying that five to six criminals carried out the robbery at the Tanishq showroom and said efforts were being made to identify the criminals on the basis of CCTV footage and arrest them soon.