Jewellers protest burglary

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

RAWALPINDI, Sept 25: While jewellery shops in the city remained closed in protest against the Friday night burglary at Sarafa Bazaar, police carried out raids in search of a man who had been involved in shop/house break-ins in the past.

The police also picked up the brother and cousin of Danish Akhtar, the suspect, and shifted them to an undisclosed place for investigation.

More than Rs120 million worth of gold and diamond jewellery were taken away by the burglar from the workshop of goldsmith Anwar Ahmed alias Dada Anwar in the Sarafa Bazaar on Friday night.

Ijaz Khushi, the president of Markazi Union of Sarafa Bazaar, said the robbery victim was in distress since the incident.

He said all the jewellery markets remained closed on Sunday in protest against the biggest ever burglary in the Sarafa Bazaar. The protesters demanded that the police should arrest the culprits and recover the stolen goods.

Mr Khushi said the Sarafa Bazaar union would chalk out its future strategy in a meeting to be held on Monday.

He added that only 10 per cent of the stolen gold and diamond belonged to Anwar Ahmed as the remaining items were given to him by different jewellers for making jewelry because he is the best goldsmith in the market.

Meanwhile, the police have been unable to launch a proper investigation into the case due to alleged lack of cooperation from the jewellers` union.

Police said Danish Akhtar had been involved in a jewellery shop burglary and during interrogation police had recovered the stolen gold items from his possession some time back. The police believe that he could be helpful in tracking down the culprits involved in the latest burglary.

The police have also collected the cellphone data and other records of people either living or working in the surrounding of the goldsmith`s workshop and started questioning them.