GUJRANWALA, June 15: The rising number of robberies have panicked businessmen, especially jewellers, of the city and suburbs, while the police have failed to address the problem.

Jewellers’ representatives said on Friday that robbers had deprived several jewellery shops and jewellers of valuables worth Rs15 million during the last couple of days. They said that all these robberies occurred in broad daylight in crowded areas. They said that most criminals involved in these robberies were proclaimed offenders and police were helpless against them.

The jewellers said that four robbers intercepted jewellers Khalid and Tanvir of Sargodha on Circular Road in Wazirabad on Thursday and deprived them of 428 tola gold, Rs 65,000 and their mobile phones. The same day, three robbers snatched 30 tola gold, Rs 75,000 and two mobile phones from jeweller Haroon Sheikh of Faisalabad near Old Tehsil Kutchery in Wazirabad, they added. Earlier, jeweller Anjum Rashid and his customers were deprived of 70 tola gold and cash in Model Town.

The jewellers said that several armed men invaded a jewellery market in Ghakkhar Town two moths ago. They opened fire to make jewellers flee and took away gold worth Rs6.5 million from six shops. They said that robbers targeted jeweller Shahid Altaf, who is the brother of Deputy Inspector General of Railways Police Sarfraz Ahmad, but he fled. They said that police were informed when the robbers were looting shops, but they did not respond. Later, the jewellers went on a strike.

City Police Officer Khadim Hussain Bhatti, Wazirabad Deputy Superintendent of Police Muhamamd Afzel and Ghakkhar Station House Officer Amir Shaheen Gondel later visited the market and told jewellers that the robbers had been identified and would be arrested soon. The jewellers’ strike continued for three days, but the robbers have not been arrested so far.

Later, traders and jewellers of Ghakkhar Town complained to Punjab police chief Chaudhry Ahmad Nasim about the security situation in the area and sought protection. They asked Nasim to order the robbers’ arrest and appoint ‘honest and efficient’ police officials in the area. “What is the use of police patrol posts if robbers are fleeing so easily after looting people?” they asked.