Police have arrested a driver from Patna's Samanpura area in connection with loot of a Rs 5-crore ruby-fitted gold ring among other valuables from a Nageshwar Colony apartment last month.

Mohammed Ali, one of the four men who had barged into Baban Choubey and his wife's flat on March 26, was arrested early on Friday morning. The four men, including one Mushtaq Khan who Choubey had identified, had looted gold jewellery, cash, and the ring Choubey's neighbour Kulkant Singh had entrusted him to keep.

Ali revealed, the police claimed, that Mushtaq who was known to both Choubey and Kulkant, a retired excise department official, had hatched the plan to steal the ring.

"Mohammed Ali's arrest is a big catch for the police," said Kotwali police station house officer Ramashankar Singh. "He confessed before the police that it was Mushtaq who had executed the entire plan."

Police sources said Ali, kingpin Mushtaq, Rizwan and another member of the gang had barged into Choubey's home in Purnodaya Apartment at Nageshwar Colony. Kulkant had wanted to sell the ring that he had kept with Choubey for years for safekeeping. Choubey had called Mushtaq, police officer Ramashankar Singh said, so that he could facilitate the ring sale.

The officer said Mushtaq and Choubey knew each other as they were in the real estate business, and Mushtaq had assured him of helping in selling the ring.

Police sources said when Mushtaq realised the ruby ring was priced more than Rs 5 crore, he decided to steal it. After looting the Choubeys' apartment, Mushtaq and two of his accomplices left Patna. He is at present suspected to be in Calcutta, where a team of Patna police is camping to arrest the rest of the people involved in the case.