New Delhi, Apr 15 (Mail Today) : Showing presence of mind, a salesgirl at a jewellery shop in south Delhi's Mahipalpur area prevented a robbery by bluffing armed dacoits. Though the dacoits managed to flee, they couldn't get their hands on any jewellery or cash from the shop.

According to a senior police official, five armed men, three of whom were brandishing pistols, entered the jewellery showroom belonging to one Hari Om on Friday afternoon. Initially, they asked the showroom employees to hand over cash but later changed their mind.

Holding the jewellery showroom owner hostage at gunpoint, they ordered the employees to hand over all the jewellery, the police said. An employee tried to snatch the weapon from their hand but failed. The dacoits then took all the jewellery and asked the owner to hand over the silver plates as well.

It was then that Shilpi told the dacoits that she had called the police and they (police) would reach the store any minute. Hearing this, the dacoits panicked and fled in a hurry, leaving all the jewellery behind. They had, however, injured the owner of the shop with a sharp object, said a police official.

A grab of the CCTV footage of the robbers at the jewellery shop in Delhi's Mahipalpur area.The salesgirl had not called the police. It was just a ploy to scare them. But the employees called the police immediately after the dacoits fled.
Police said the entire incident has been captured by the CCTV cameras installed in the showroom.

Efforts were now on to identify and nab them. The police said they are also planning to reward the salesgirl for her presence of mind. The police also lauded the effort of one of the employees of the showroom who tried to stop the dacoits but one of them had taken out a knife and threatened the owner.

They had attacked the owner when he refused to hand over jewellery and cash. Police said the owner has suffered injuries on his right hand.