SRINAGAR: Armed robbers executed a daring daylight heist in the Greater Kailash locality of Jammu on the weekend, taking the owner of a jewellery store hostage before making off with 1.5 kilograms of gold. The brazen crime has sparked outrage among local shopkeepers, who have raised concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation in the city, reports in Jammu newspaper said.
According to police officials, the incident occurred around 1:15 pm when two well-dressed youths, riding a motorcycle and wearing helmets along with black glasses, entered Anand Jewellery Store. The assailants brandished a sharp-edged weapon, locally known as toka ,” to hold the store’s proprietor, Prabha Anand, hostage.
One of the robbers then proceeded to smash the display mirrors in the shop and looted 1,500 grams of gold jewellery, including necklaces, rings, and other valuable items, before fleeing the scene. The timing of the heist coincided with the absence of the couple’s son, who was out depositing a cheque at a bank.
Prabha Anand’s husband, Kuldeep Raj, recounted the traumatic experience, stating, “My wife was terrified as the thieves were carrying large sharp-edged weapons to conduct the robbery.”
Following the robbery, a large number of shopkeepers gathered in Greater Kailash and raised slogans against the police administration, accusing them of failing to ensure their safety. The incident has reignited concerns over security lapses, particularly in light of a recent broad daylight murder in Jammu’s Jewel Chowk area.
Raj Kumar Babbar, President of the Swarnkar Sangh, Jammu and Kashmir, condemned the incident, saying that the recent spate of crimes has shaken both the jeweller community and the general public. “The murder in broad daylight and this subsequent robbery have exposed serious weaknesses in the functioning of both the civil and police administrations in the region. If this situation is allowed to worsen, things will spiral out of control in the coming days,” he warned.
Babbar also called for the immediate arrest of the suspects and demanded that weapon licences be issued to jewellers to ensure their security.
While no arrests had been made till the time of reporting, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jammu, Joginder Singh, assured that dedicated teams of police officials have been deployed to apprehend the culprits, and investigations are ongoing
