A robbery investigation in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district has led to the arrest of six people, including the alleged mastermind, after police traced the group through a dispute over the distribution of stolen cash and jewellery. The Kota police said they have recovered the stolen property along with a pistol, a car, a motorcycle and six mobile phones.

The arrests relate to two incidents reported in the Kota area in July. In the first case, a railway employee carrying a collection of ₹7,430 was allegedly robbed near the Salka Dam area. Ten days later, a group allegedly entered a woman’s house wearing burqas and robbed her of gold jewellery after assaulting her and threatening her with a weapon. 

Railway Employee Robbed of ₹7,430

According to police, the first incident took place on July 8, 2026, when a railway employee was returning from Belgahna railway station with collection money.

The employee was allegedly targeted near the Salka Dam area at the Bade Barmaad Morh. The accused reportedly snatched his bag containing ₹7,430 and pushed him to the ground before fleeing.

Kota police registered a case and began investigating the incident, examining available evidence and statements while also developing information about possible suspects. 

Burqa Used During House Robbery

The second incident was reported on July 18 at the house of Rajkumari Jaiswal.

Police said the accused entered the house wearing burqas and allegedly assaulted the woman before threatening her with an air gun and taking gold ornaments. The stolen jewellery reportedly included three fruit-shaped pendants and two wheat-grain-shaped pieces, collectively valued at around ₹50,000.

A separate case was registered at Kota police station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act. 

Dispute Among Suspects Led to Breakthrough

Police said the investigation gained momentum after a dispute among members of the alleged group.

On September 2, the suspects reportedly got into a fight near a petrol pump in Kota. One of those involved approached the police and lodged a complaint about the altercation.

During questioning, police allegedly learned that the dispute was connected to the distribution of the money and jewellery obtained through the robberies. Investigators then conducted searches at different locations and arrested all six accused.

Police subsequently claimed that the stolen property had been fully recovered.

Rakesh Jaiswal Named Alleged Mastermind

According to the police investigation, Rakesh Jaiswal, 35, of Manjgaon in Kota, allegedly planned the two incidents with Divyanshu Jaiswal and Adarsh Tiwari.

Police said the group required a firearm for the planned robberies and contacted Sunny Singh for assistance. According to investigators, Sunny took the group to Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, where a pistol was allegedly arranged through his brother.

The police have described Rakesh as the alleged mastermind. The allegations are part of the ongoing criminal investigation and will be subject to judicial proceedings.

Stolen Gold Allegedly Sold to Jeweller

Investigators also traced the disposal of the stolen jewellery.

Police said Harsh Namdev helped sell the gold ornaments to Harsh Soni, a jeweller from the Firingipara area. Both were subsequently arrested along with the alleged robbery suspects.

The six arrested accused were identified as Rakesh Jaiswal, Divyanshu Jaiswal, Adarsh Tiwari, Harsh Namdev, Harsh Soni and Sunny Singh. All were sent to judicial remand, according to police reports. 

Pistol, Car, Bike and Mobiles Recovered

Police said the operation resulted in the recovery of a pistol, gold ornaments, an Ertiga car, a motorcycle and six mobile phones. Reports citing the police said the recovered property represented the full amount of stolen material linked to the two cases.

The operation was carried out under the supervision of Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Madhulika Singh and Kota SDOP Nupur Upadhyay. Senior Superintendent of Police Rajnesh Singh also praised the police team and announced a cash reward for the personnel involved in the investigation.