A former Delhi Police officer is among four individuals apprehended for their involvement in a jewelry heist in Punjab. The ex-cop reportedly learned how to disguise himself by watching YouTube videos.

The incident occurred on July 11 at a jewelry shop in Dhakoli, where the accused executed a daylight robbery. Authorities have recovered 120 grams of gold, 500 grams of silver, and ₹8 lakh from the arrested individuals.

Those arrested have been identified as Amit Shukla, Vijay Kamal, Akash Sharma, and Ravinder Tyagi, all residents of Delhi. According to Zirakpur SP Jaspinder Singh Gill, Amit Shukla is the primary suspect and has a history of involvement in two prior cases of robbery and criminal conspiracy. Vijay Kamal, the dismissed Delhi Police officer, has eight cases of theft and robbery registered against him. He was reportedly dismissed from the Delhi Police following a kidnapping case.

SP Jaspinder Singh Gill stated that Vijay Kamal is known for robberies at jewelry shops. To conceal his identity during the Dhakoli robbery, he learned how to tie a turban by watching YouTube videos. Gill further added that Kamal would track jewelers before targeting them.

On July 11, an attempt to murder and robbery case was registered at the Dhakoli police station against unidentified individuals. The shop owner, Govind, reported that two unidentified youths robbed approximately 2 kg of gold and 15 kg of silver, with an estimated value of ₹2.5 crore.

Govind stated that his father, Surinder Kwatra, was present at the shop when two youths arrived and inquired about a gold chain. The same individuals returned an hour later and held Surinder captive, tying him up and dragging him upstairs. The robbers, claiming to have a pistol, threatened Surinder before taking all the jewelry from the showcases and the safe within 10-12 minutes and fleeing on their bike. They also took the CCTV camera recorder.

Past incidents of similar robberies in the area include an April 16, 2025, incident where four robbers looted ₹80,000 in cash and silver ornaments from a jewelry shop in Shiva Enclave, Pabhat. In another incident on October 15, 2024, two bike-borne youths looted a jewelry shop in Lohgarh.

In a separate incident in October 2024, Mohali police arrested 10 members of an inter-state gang of jewelry thieves, including six women, seizing 92 grams of gold and 1.850 kg of silver jewelry, along with two cars. The accused, who hail from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, were active in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. They would replace original ornaments with duplicates while male members acted as lookouts.

Another case in 2020 involved a 2 kg gold dacoity from a jewelry shop in Ludhiana's Ghumar Mandi, where the fourth robber was identified as Shiv Preet. Three other individuals—Tejinder Singh, Vishnu, and Bhushan—were previously arrested.