Patna STF Arrests Three, Recovers 5.79 kg Gold in Fake Customs Heist

The theft began with a familiar intimidation tactic: uniforms, official-sounding authority, and a car dressed up to look like law enforcement. In Patna, that performance ended with the Bihar Special Task Force and Patna Police arresting three men and recovering 5.79 kg of gold, plus Rs 1.97 lakh in cash, from a robbery built on impersonation.

Investigators said the gang posed as customs officers and intercepted two jewellery employees, Mahesh Mamtora and Prince Ramparia of Rajkot, as they travelled by autorickshaw under Khagaul police station limits. The stop took place near the Khagaul overbridge close to Danapur railway station, when the pair were headed toward Bakerganj after arriving from Ahmedabad by the Saharsa Express. They were carrying gold jewellery for their employer, Sunil Bhai, proprietor of V and Sons in Rajkot.

The group allegedly used a Baleno fitted with a police sticker, alongside two motorcycles, and wore white shirts with khaki trousers to strengthen the illusion. After stopping the autorickshaw, they seized three bags in the name of “inspection.” Mahesh Mamtora was forced into the gang’s vehicle, blindfolded and tied up, and later released on a deserted stretch of Naubatpur Road.

Police said the recovery was possible in part because the stolen bags were fitted with GPS devices. The bags were thrown along the AIIMS–Naubatpur road, and a scooty linked to the crime was found abandoned near the AIIMS roundabout. The Baleno used in the operation was reported stolen from Delhi and carried a fake registration number connected to a man from Purnia.

The arrested men were identified as Santosh Bhagat, also known as Amarnath, Aditya Giri, also known as Sunny, and Sanjay Kumar, also known as Guddu, all residents of Patna district. Police also reported recovering ammunition, described as nine live cartridges, and seizing vehicles used in the crime, including a four-wheeler described as stolen.

Early accounts varied widely on how much gold was taken, with figures ranging from around 14.9 kg to about 17 kg, and other tallies appearing in initial reporting. What has stayed consistent is the official recovery figure of 5.79 kg and the assertion that more gold remained unrecovered as investigators continued to trace additional suspects and the wider conspiracy.