Jalandhar, April 4
Panic gripped the Jalandhar cantonment area as four persons allegedly looted cash and jewellery worth about Rs 25 lakh from a jeweller in the busy street No. 9 today. The jeweller said that he was robbed at the gun point by four persons, one of them posing as a customer, this morning.

Police officials feel that it seemed to be the handiwork of a gang, which was well aware of the area and particularly the street No. 9.

One of the robbers, according to Ajay Pal Chauhan, 35-year-old owner of Chauhan Jewellers, had come to him posing as a customer on April 2 and placed an order for jewellery worth about Rs 30,000. He had extended an advance of Rs 3,000. Last evening, the same person called him on his phone and expressed his desire that he wanted to collect the jewellery around 6 am today. Expressing his inability to meet his demand, Chauhan asked him to come around 8.30 am to his house, which is situated at the rear of the shop.

The person came to Chauhan’s residence around 8.30 am along with another clean-shaven person and two women. He requested Chauhan to let the people accompanying him into his house. After this, one of two men went out of Chauhan’s house and came back with two Sikh youths. After some time all of them allegedly took out revolvers and threatened to kill him and his wife, who was present on the first floor of the house, if he did not hand over the entire jewellery of his shop and cash to them. “At this I almost fainted. I requested them to spare my wife and take anything they wanted. While collecting jewellery, weighing about 3.25 kg, and Rs 60,000 from the chest, one of them even directed his accomplice to kill me. But, instead I was spared and my hands were tied with a cloth. They fled with cash and jewellery,” said a sobbing Chauhan.

Mr Rakesh Kaushal, SP (city), said that a case had been registered. Mr S.K. Asthana, SSP, also reached the crime scene.