But the armed robbers hadn't reckoned for an alert passerby and a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) guard. The passerby was felicitated by Jain today for foiling the robbery.

At about 1.15 pm, as the duo snatched the bag containing the gold, Shankar Kumar Sharma tried to intercept Rao, who hit him on the head with the chopper. Balaram Nandgaonkar, a BMC guard, then pitched in and together, they overpowered Rao.

Sharma was injured near his left ear. Even as the blood spurted out, he still got a hold of Rao. ``I was surprised to see this man who was trying to flee the scene after hurting Sharma. I could not keep away from joining,'' saidNandgaonkar. D'souza, though, managed to burst through the crowd and escaped, gun in hand.

Rao was handed over to the L T Marg police station, and revealed the identity of his associate during interrogation. D'souza was arrested from Palace Hotel at Sakinaka at around 2.30 am on Sunday. The police recovered the entire stolen property from the duo. They worked as waiters at Hotel Saroj.

Moved at Sharma's bravery, Jain gave him Rs 15,000 cash. Remarked Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kalbadevi division, Vinay Pednekar, ``If we could get such support from the public, our investigations will become easier.''