SUKKUR, Dec 4: A gang of six armed men struck the Ladies Bazaar in Ghotki on Wednesday and resorted to heavy firing to scare away shoppers and shopkeepers before breaking into a gold jewellery shop to rob its owner of all real ornaments and cash.

The shop was owned by Ravi Kumar, who claimed that he lost jewellery weighing 30 tolas (360 grams) and about Rs500,000 cash to the robbers.

Soon after the incident, all shops in the bazaar were shut and jewellers and goldsmiths along with other traders, shopkeepers and members of the general public staged a protest against police.

Led by Raj Kumar, Bhajan Lal, Ravi Kumar and others, the protesters said police had miserably failed to contain crime and ensure safety and security of citizens.

Meanwhile, All Sindh Sarafa and Jewellers Association chairman Haji Ghulam Shabbir Bhutto and Sarafa Association, Sukkur president Haji Mohammad Jawed Memon condemned the broad daylight robbery.

In a statement issued after the incident, they wondered that the robbers managed to escape without any resistance.