MUMBAI, Oct. 17 -- A day after three masked college students stormed into a jewellery shop in Ghatkopar, slashed the store owner's throat and fled with gold worth Rs.3 lakh, a preliminary probe has revealed that the trio, all in their early 20s, are gaming addicts who allegedly turned to armed robbery to fund their obsession. So far, the police have arrested two suspects, while the third accomplice, who had allegedly procured a pistol for the crime, is still at large. According to the Ghatkopar police, the accused had spent weeks frequenting a gaming parlour in Saki Naka where they plotted the heist. On Wednesday morning, they arrived at Darshan Jewellers in Ghatkopar West, owned by 28-year-old Darshan Metekari, wearing masks and carrying a pistol and knives. Metekari, who was alone and cleaning the store around 10.30 am, was caught off guard when the trio barged in. "As soon as they entered, they brandished their weapons and began pulling jewellery from the display boards. Though unarmed, Metekari resisted, which seemed to unsettle them. One of them slashed his throat in panic," said a police officer. "As Metekari screamed for help, one of the robbers dropped a small bag while fleeing." The commotion drew a crowd outside the shop. In their haste, the robbers grabbed a tray of ornaments instead of putting them into a bag. Much of the loot fell on the road as they ran. To clear their escape route, one of them fired a shot in the air before two escaped on a scooter and the third - believed to be carrying the pistol - fled on foot. The bag left behind proved crucial. Inside, the police found an Aadhaar card and bank papers identifying one suspect - Chandra Yadav, a Navi Mumbai resident now on the run. Acting on the leads, police sub-inspector Pandurang Salunke and his team, including constables Deepak Bharti, Nilesh Pawar, Amol Suryawanshi and Ajay Ahire, analysed Yadav's call records and tracked down two associates he had frequently contacted. Both Suraj Yadav, a final-year BCom student from Thane, and Tanish Bhaitande, a student at the University of Mumbai's Kalina campus - were picked up from a gaming parlour in Saki Naka late on Wednesday night. Bhaitande's father runs a small grocery shop in Kurla, where the family lives in a slum rehabilitation building. Investigators said the three met through mutual friends and bonded over gaming. "They spent long hours at the parlour and often ran out of money," an officer said. "Needing funds for gaming and other expenses, they decided to rob a jewellery store. After doing a recce, Chandra procured a pistol for the job." The trio allegedly made off with gold worth Rs.3 lakh, though most of it remains unrecovered. Police said Yadav, who is still absconding, is believed to have taken possession of the stolen ornaments and the firearm. An FIR was registered under sections 309 (robbery) and 311 (attempt to cause death) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita....