UP STF arrests mastermind of Rs 7cr Hooghly jewellery heist | Lucknow News
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrested dreaded criminal Adarsh Singh Behda, the mastermind of a sensational ₹7 crore jewellery heist in Hooghly, along with his associate Suraj Seth. The arrests were made on Sept 23 near Gambhirpur toll plaza in Azamgarh district.The STF recovered ₹20 lakh in cash, 12 diamond rings, a gold ring, a diamond necklace, two mobile phones and a newly purchased Bullet motorcycle bought from looted money from them.On Aug 3, 2025, six armed dacoits stormed Sohan gold and diamond jewellery shop on Teen Mukherjee Road in Dankuni, Hooghly district, West Bengal. The gang assaulted customers and staff before looting five-six kg of gold and diamond jewellery worth around ₹7 crore in broad daylight. Panic gripped the local trading community and a case under sections 310(2)/311 of BNS and the Arms Act was registered at Dankuni police station.Investigations revealed the involvement of professional dacoits from Bihar and UP. The Chandannagar police commissionerate shared CCTV footage and intelligence with UP STF, which launched a focused operation under Inspector Anil Kumar Singh of STF Varanasi unit.ASP, STF, Vinod Kumar Singh tracked down Adarsh and Suraj in Azamgarh. “During interrogation, Adarsh confessed to planning the heist with accomplices from Bihar, including Bittu of Vaishali and Vinod Rai of Patna. The gang used stolen motorcycles and firearms provided by Bittu. After the robbery, they abandoned the motorcycles, fled in an SUV to Ranchi and reached Varanasi. The looted jewellery was divided among gang members, with some pieces sold off in exchange for lakhs of rupees,” said ASP Singh.Police records show Adarsh as a notorious dacoit specialising in jewellery shop robberies. His criminal history spans multiple states, with over a dozen cases of loot, armed robbery, attempt to murder, gangster charges and arms smuggling across UP and Bihar. Key cases include a 2019 loot of ₹76,000 in Jaunpur, a 2021 shootout with STF while attempting to murder a rival and a 2022 robbery in Jaunpur worth ₹50,000. A 2024 armed loot of 700 gm gold and one kg silver in Muzaffarpur, Bihar and multiple gangster and attempt-to-murder cases in Jaunpur, Varanasi and Kaimur (Bihar).Notably, Adarsh is nephew of notorious criminal Deepak Singh Behda, who was killed in a police encounter in Varanasi years ago. Both accused have been lodged at Kerakat police station in Jaunpur and presented before the ACJM-III court, Jaunpur. The Chandannagar police of West Bengal are coordinating for police custody remand to further investigate the interstate gang and recover the remaining looted property.Police sources said the STF is now tracking the gang’s Bihar-based operatives, including Bittu and Vinod Rai, who remain at large.
