Shop-owner Tarun Upadhyay recounts the dacoity attempt on Thursday morning. Picture by Amit Datta

A gang of five robbers rescued an accomplice from the clutches of a gun-toting policeman early on Thursday and drove off in a Matador van.

The incident, following a failed robbery at a kerosene dealer’s shop on Purna Das Road, had all the ingredients of a Bollywood action film — a daring robbery attempt, timely entry of the cops, motorcycle and Matador chase, cop-and-robber fight and gun shots.

According to the police, two constables — Amal Roy and Amlan Bhattacharya — on night patrol saw a Matador parked in front of the kerosene shop. Sniffing something wrong, they stopped their motorcycle in front of the Matador and one of the constables got off to take a closer look.

“Suddenly, some men jumped into the Matador. The driver started the van and pressed the accelerator, without bothering about our constable sitting on the motorcycle in front his vehicle. Amlan fell off under the impact and slumped on the road,” said Jawed Shamim, the deputy commissioner of police (south).

Amal, the other constable, noticed that one of the gang members — all of them were in shorts, T-shirts and had their faces covered — could not make it to the Matador.

“Amal started chasing him. After a 200-metre sprint, Amal managed to pin down the miscreant,” said Shamim.

But Amal could not hold on to the prize catch as the gang members returned in the Matador barely a few minutes after leaving the spot.

Five robbers jumped off the vehicle and pounced on Amal before he could pull out his service revolver and snatched away the man from his clutches.

As they got into the Matador again, Amal fired two shots but missed the target and the van sped away.

Thursday morning’s robbery attempt is the second at Fair Price Kerosene Shop, at 70 Purna Das Road. Tarun Upadhyay, the shop-owner, said that a group of criminals raided his shop last month, but fled after he woke up and raised an alarm.

“I had lodged a complaint with the police, requesting them to keep a watch,” said Upadhyay.

The police have started a massive hunt to catch the robbers. But no arrest was made till late on Thursday night.