A gang of armed robbers looted diamond, gold and silver ornaments worth around Rs 5 crore from a jewellery shop in Malda's Chanchal on Monday evening amid Christmas celebrations.
The police station is barely 500 metres away from the shop, Dacca Jewellers.
Senior police officers suspect that the gang of robbers was from neighbouring Bihar.
Sources said the armed criminals came on two two-wheelers. Their faces were masked and each wore a helmet.
“They held us at gunpoint and looted the ornaments along with Rs 1.60 lakh in cash. Since all of them brandished firearms, our security personnel did not dare prevent them. We have filed a complaint with the police," said Muktar Ali, the general manager of the jewellery store.
Within 10 minutes, the gang cleaned the shop of valuables, Ali said. “They were speaking in Hindi among themselves. They instructed us in Hindi to open the vault,” Ali added.
Ali's police complaint mentioned that 9kg of gold, 10.5kg of silver and 10 carats of diamonds were taken away by robbers.
While leaving the shop, the criminals fired some shots randomly, leaving people nearby, including shop owners, panicky.
Najma Khatun, a woman who sells slippers on the footpath near the shop, said: “They were firing at random. I fled, leaving my wares behind.”
The bullets luckily didn’t hit anybody, said sources.
Locals said the shop is owned by one of the biggest ornament merchants of Chanchal.
Udayan Bhowmik, the owner, has similar branches under the same name in Raiganj, Dalkhola and other areas of the neighbouring North Dinajpur district. In Chanchal, the shop was opened two years ago.
The police faced the ire of traders and local residents.
Uttam Saha, a trader of Chanchal market, said: “The entire robbery was executed so fast that we were surprised. The robbers fired gunshots and fled. Police must find the gang. We are feeling scared and insecure.”
Around 100 jewellery shops in Chanchal kept their establishments closed on Tuesday and held meetings, demanding immediate police action.
Representatives of the Malda Merchant Chamber of Commerce also expressed concern over the robbery. The outfit sent a letter to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, requesting her to direct the police to ensure the security of the traders.
“This is the second robbery at a jewellery shop within a span of six months in Chanchal. On June 27 this year, a gang of robbers looted a similar shop at Malatipur under Chanchal police station. A civic volunteer, who tried to chase the robbers, was gunned down then. If the police fail to ensure the security of businessmen, we will go on strike in a week,” said Jayanta Kundu, the president of the trade body.
Police officers suspect the robbers are from Bihar. From Chanchal, the interstate border is just 12km away.
“We are examining CCTV footage and questioning the employees of the jewellery shop,” said a police officer.