TAXILA: Police remain clueless about the robbers who looted a number of shops in the local jewellery market in the guise of private security guards three days ago.On the other hand, a young jeweller who received a bullet injury while putting resistance to the robbers died in a private hospital early on Monday.

Haris Jameel, 18, had sustained the injury to the lower part of his abdomen after the robbers opened fire at him for resisting them.

He was shifted to the POF Hospital where he died.

Armed men looted five shops and shot dead a young jeweller three days ago

The Taxila police registered a case of the robbery in the jewellery market on the complaint of Naeem Akhter, a trader whose shop was also robbed.

In his application, Mr Akhter stated that the robbers looted jewellery worth millions of rupees from his and four other shops.

A complete shutter-down strike was observed in the city against the broad daylight robbery and the death of the young jeweller on Monday.

All business and trade centres, markets and bazaars remained closed.

City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Abbas Ahsan took notice of the incident and formed two investigation teams headed by SP Potohar division Sajid Hussain Khokhar.

On the other hand, the police started searching private clinics and hospitals after eye witnesses said one of the robbers had been shot in the leg by the security guard of a jewellery shop.

“We are searching private hospitals and surgical units in Taxila, Wah, Hassanabdal, Tarnol and Khanpur where the injured robber might have gone for treatment,” said a police official.

The police also registered a separate FIR against the unidentified robbers after the death of the jeweller on the complaint of his father.

It may be mentioned that the police have failed to resolve two robbery cases in Taxila and Wah where shopkeepers were shot and injured over resistance two months ago.

Traders and jewellers have called upon the inspector general of the police to suspend the station house officer of Taxila and the subdivisional police officer (SDPO) for their failure to curb crimes in the area.

They said the police failed to trace any of the robbery cases even though CCTV footage showing the face images of the robbers had been provided to the investigation officials.

Sources in the police said senior investigation officers had been transferred to other districts before the general elections and the new staff failed to trace the cases.

The sources said all the police manpower remained busy in their election duties and no attention was given to control crimes.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2018