A gang of 14 to 16 armed robbers looted gold worth Rs 20 million from jewellers of main bazaar Mozang, the most densely populated area of the provincial capital on Thursday and calmly walked away on foot throwing down a gauntlet to the law enforcing agencies and creating panic among the general public.
Eye witness told Business Recorder that the daredevil gang stormed into the main Mozang bazaar in broad daylight at 3pm firing with mouser pistols and swiftly looted two shops which heavily show-cased gold jewellery with about 5kg of gold. One of the jewellers resisted the dacoits who was fired at and injured.
Lahore Division Sarafa and Jewellers Association Chairman Rana Mazhar Ali and Secretary-General Rana Javed Ali said in a joint statement that frequent looting of jewellers' shops in the province eloquently speaks of law-and-order situation in Punjab. They said it is a matter of grave concern that 16 armed men could easily storm into the densely populated main Mozang bazaar and successfully run away after looting the jewellers' shops without any police intervention.
They said there was no policeman in the area to protect the shopkeepers and the people from the robbers. They demanded of Chief Minister Punjab to direct the police officials to arrest the robbers and recover the looted jewellery in a week's time otherwise all the 50 sarafa associations in the city will close down their business.
Some jewellers, who have been associated with this business in Sarafa Bazaar since long, termed the robbery 'heist of the city'. Dacoits on Thursday made off with cash, gold ornaments, and other valuables worth Rs 1.8 million during several successful strikes from different parts of the Punjab Capital, police sources claimed.
Two robbers equipped with pistols stormed into the house (No 3 Street No 11) of Liaqat Ali in Shafiqabad police area. The robbers held up the family members at gunpoint, locked them in a room, and escaped after collecting cash, gold ornaments and clothes worth Rs 310,000.
A car-rider Muhammad Ilyas along with his family was on his way home when two gunmen riding on a motorcycle intercepted him in Wahdat Colony police area. Sajjad Ahmed was on his way home from office when two motorcyclists intercepted him in Baghbanpura police area. He was deprived of cash, mobile phones, and a wristwatch worth Rs 1,500,000. Five dacoits forced their entry into the Dera of Muhammad Atif situated in Manawan police vicinity. The bandits held up his workers at gunpoint and took away cash, cellular phones and six male goats worth Rs 160,000.
Irshad Bano was going to pick her children from a school when two motorcyclists intercepted her in Harbanspura police area. She was deprived of cash and gold ornaments worth Rs 45,000 at gunpoint. Rasheed along with his family members was on his way home when two robbers intercepted him in Shadbagh police area. The robbers held them up at gunpoint and escaped after collecting cash, gold ornaments and other valuables worth Rs 200,000.
Two gunmen held up Asif in Barki police area and deprived him of cash and valuables worth Rs 74,000. Ghulam Qadir was coming back after withdrawing Rs 270,000 from a bank when gunmen intercepted him near Laal School in Sanda police area. The bandits held him up at gunpoint and snatched away the cash. Two robbers intercepted another motorcyclist, Kashif, in Gulberg police vicinity and deprived him of his mobile phone and purse, containing Rs 5,000.