Shanghai: A 33-year-old man who masterminded a gold robbery and stole bars and jewellery worth over one million yuan ($155,000) has been sentenced to death by a Shanghai court.
Zhang Degang, who worked as a security guard in a residential community, led a gang of three men brandishing replica guns and stole items worth 1.01 million yuan.
The other accused, 33-year-old Wang Fei, who returned his one kg share of gold, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, and Zhang Bin, 43, who surrendered to the police, received a life sentence.
The gang bought explosive powder, camouflage clothes and weapons for the robbery. They rented a house in Shanghai, studied the layout of the gold shop and began making smoke bombs.
On Sep 8 last year, they went to the shop, threatened the staff with replica guns, threw the smoke bombs and looted the items, the court was told. (IANS)
