35 bhori of gold looted, one shot during armed robbery in jewellery store in Cumilla
Locals managed to capture one suspect and handed him over to the police
A gang of armed robbers stormed a jewellery store in Cumilla's Chauddagram upazila, detonating cocktails and holding staff at gunpoint before looting 35 bhori of gold.
The robbery occurred yesterday evening (8 February) at Priti Jewellers, located on the ground floor of Miabazar Mosque Market.
Locals managed to capture one suspect and handed him over to the police.
According to traders at the market, customers were browsing jewellery when the robbers struck around 7:45pm. At the time, Isha prayers were ongoing at the mosque on the market's second floor. A gang of 5–7 robbers created panic by detonating cocktails before barging into Priti Jewellers and looting gold ornaments.
During that time, Mosharraf Hossain, the owner of a nearby shop, Bismillah Telecom, was shot when he raised an alarm shouting "robbers".
Trader Robiul Hossain Milon said, "As the Isha prayers were concluding, we suddenly heard explosions and gunshots. When we came out, we saw that Priti Jewellers had been robbed."
Rabindra Dutta, the owner of Priti Jewellers, said, "My nephew Palash Dutta was at the shop when 5–7 robbers burst in, detonated cocktails, and held everyone at gunpoint. They took around 35 bhori of gold. Later, the traders managed to catch one of them."
Police arrived at the scene after being informed and took the suspect into custody. They also recovered a microbus believed to have been used by the robbers, said Rabindra Dutta.
Chauddagram police station's Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Hilal Uddin Ahmed said, "The mob captured one of the robbers and handed him over to the police. Efforts are underway to arrest the remaining members of the gang."