Surat: Police arrested a gang of five robbers on Thursday for alleged attempt to rob diamonds worth Rs 18.5 lakh from an employee of a diamond polishing unit in Kapodra. All the accused are working in different firms but to make quick bucks they planned the loot.Kalpesh Daraniya (25), employee at a lace-making unit; Ravi Ghoghari (23), who works at a diamond polishing unit; Dharmesh Jikadara (21), a second year BCom student; Pratik Mehta (23), who too is an employee of a lace-making unit and Nirmal Khachar (29), a diamond polisher, were arrested by police.They tried to rob a bag containing rough diamonds from Shailesh Vanani, an employee of a diamond polishing unit, when he and his colleague Pradip Sendpara were going on a scooter on Wednesday morning.The accused were produced in the court on Thursday and remanded to police custody till May 20.Vanani was near PP Savani Circle on AK Road when Daraniya came on his motorcycle and knocked down his scooter. Daraniya got down from his motorcycle and entered into an altercation with Vanani. Within seconds the other four accused came from different directions on two motorcycles and joined Daraniya.They attacked Vanani, while Daraniya tried to snatch the bag with diamonds. One of the accused hit Vanani with a metal tool on the forehead. Meanwhile, locals started gathering and out of fear of getting caught four of them escaped.Daraniya was nabbed by the locals before he could flee and handed over to the police. Investigation revealed that Khachar, who works in the same unit as Vanani, had tipped the other accused. They did a recce of the entire route that Vanani takes to commute with the diamonds and planned the robbery."All the accused are from middle-class families and planned the robbery with the intention to make quick money. We are investigating if any other accused is involved," said police.

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