Jewellers, traders observe complete bandh in Ojhar

Nashik, July 14 (UNI) Jewellers and traders in Ojhar observed complete bandh today to protest the robbery of a jewellery shop there yesterday.

All jewellery shops in the district remained closed with those from Yavatmal and Hingoli also supporting the bandh.

The jewellers from Nashik went to Ojhar to participate in the bandh.

They staged a rasta-roko agitation on the Mumbai-Agra highway for two to three hours this morning.

The district police, led by SP Nikhil Gupta, conducted a search and combing operation to nab the 40 armed robbers, who looted gold and and other ornaments worth Rs 35 lakh from a jewellery shop at Ojhar, about 25 km from here between 1945 hrs and 2015 hrs yesterday when the area was enveloped in darkness due to load-shedding, police sources said. The robbers, carrying country-made pistols, had fired two rounds, injuring at least eight people.

All entry and exit points to the district were sealed and vehicles thoroughly checked to prevent the robbers from slipping out of the town.

Search operations were conducted at Chandori, Saikheda, Pimpalgaon, Baswant, Sinner, Kherwadi, Sayyadpimpri, Ojhar, Yeola, Ankai fort areas. Apart from these, combing operations were conducted at railway stations like Kundewadi, Niphad, Igatpuri, Nandgaon, Manmad, Ghoti, Nashik road and Deolali camp.

Besides Nashik district, the police undertook combing operations in Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Nandurbar and Dhule district as per the orders of the Inspector General of Police. Search operations were also carried out in neighbouring Thane district.

Despite all this, there was no trace of the robbers. Nikhil Gupta, however, expressed confidence that police would be able to nab the culprits, sources added.

UNI