The gold robbery in Sinthi on Wednesday evening was an act planned to perfection, following days of intense mapping of the victim’s daily routine and how he usually kept the ignition switch of his two-wheeler “on” before parking it after returning from a visit, police said on Saturday.

Sanjit Kumar Das, a 54-year-old worker at a jewellery workshop, told the police that two armed men attacked him while he was parking his two-wheeler near the workshop’s gate on Wednesday.

They overpowered him and fled with the vehicle, which had gold bars worth over ₹2 crore kept in a bag inside a compartment.

No one was arrested till late on Saturday.

“Das was usually chosen among other employees of the jewellery workshop for bringing gold bars from a shop in Burrabazar. At times, when he was unavailable, someone else would be entrusted with the job,” said a senior officer of the Kolkata Police.

“Those who attacked Sanjit on Thursday were aware that he would keep the two-wheeler’s engine ‘on’ before parking it inside the workshop. The engine key would usually be kept attached to the ignition switch. On Wednesday evening, it was no different, and this made it easier for the miscreants to flee with the vehicle after allegedly overpowering him,” said the officer

CCTV footage shows Sanjit leaving the two-wheeler “on” after reaching the workshop and trying to open the gates. The front and rear lights of the two-wheeler are seen glowing when one of the two miscreants plonks himself on the driver’s seat and drives away after threatening Sanjit with something.

Sanjit alleged he was threatened with a gun by the men, who had their faces covered with white masks.

The spot where the alleged robbery took place — Raja Apurba Krishna Lane — is a quiet pocket in Sinthi in Calcutta’s north, dotted with rows of residential houses.

Around 8.30pm on Wednesday, when the alleged robbery took place, the lane was deserted. The houses opposite the workshop had their doors and windows shut. No vehicle crossed the spot before or after the robbery, police said.

“The miscreants were possibly informed about the estimated time of Sanjit’s arrival after he left the shop in Burrabazar, where he went to collect the gold bars,” the officer said.

“The two men, who stood beside a tree on the lane, knew they could be questioned if someone found them loitering around for some time,” said the officer.

The police have spoken to the owner of the Burrabazar shop to know when Sanjit arrived and around what time he left the shop.

The call details of his mobile phones are being scanned to identify those with whom he last spoke, and officers have asked the owner of the jewellery workshop to provide details of all the employees who work for him.”We have got some leads. Hopefully, the two miscreants would be arrested soon,” the officer said.