Police have detained two suspects for interrogation in connection with the robbery of gold jewellery from a woman near Ram Nagari turning on Ashiana-Digha Road in the city on Wednesday.

Devendra Kumar, the Rajiv Nagar police station house officer, said the two persons had been taken into custody and are being questioned by the investigating officer of the case. The kingpin of the gang is, however, still at large.

Two motorcycle-borne criminals had on Wednesday intercepted Rinki Kumari and robbed her gold chain and earrings at pistol point. The criminals pointed the pistol to the victim's minor son, Amitesh, to force her to part with the belongings.

The woman later told the police that the criminals also tried to kidnap the child but left the spot as some local residents intervened. "I am yet to overcome the trauma that I had to undergo with my child," Rinki, a resident of Abhiyant Nagar, said.

The victim's husband, Mohan Kumar, who works with a private news channel, said he immediately informed the police about the incident. A police team from the Rajiv Nagar rushed to the spot and inquired about the incident.

Rinki, accompanied by her relative, had gone to the school around 11am when the incident happened. "Had the residents not intervened, they might have fled with my child on their motorbike," she told the police.

The incident on the busy road and that too in the busy morning hours has raised questions over policing in the city. "The way the criminals carried out the operation indicates they have no fear of law. They are striking at their sweet will," said Isha Tripathy, a resident of Ram Nagari.

A couple of months ago, a gang of criminals had opened fire in the same area to terrorise the residents, he recalled. The police have failed to make any breakthrough in the case till date.

Gold haul

At least 4kg of gold bricks bearing mark of Switzerland and valued at over Rs 1.25 crore were recovered at Sugauli railway station in East Champaran district on Thursday.

Government Railway Police raided the Howrah-bound Mithila Express at Sugauli and arrested two smugglers, Sumit Goenka and Awdesh Kumar, Muzaffarpur superintendent of railway police Birendra Narayan Jha said.

The two were hiding one gold brick weighing 1kg in each shoe they were wearing, the SP said. Jha added that the duo had received the consignment from one Santosh Jain in Birganj (Nepal) and going to deliver it to one Dhiraj in Muzaffarpur.