Panvel: A 51-year-old shopkeeper of a jewellery shop foiled an attempt of robbery on Monday morning when two persons threw chili powder and tried to flee with jewellery. The shopkeeper alerted nearby shops by shouting and prevented the robbery.
The Panvel City police registered a case and started an investigation based on the CCTV footage of the shops and nearby areas.
According to police, two robbers entered the M M Jewellers in Panvel as buyers and after seeing a number of jewellery, one of them threw chili powder over the face of the shopkeeper and tried to flee with the box of the jewellery.
However, the shopkeeper identified as Mustaqeem Nurul Tarafdar caught one of them and alerted nearby shops by shouting. The robbers left the jewellery box at the fate of the shop and fled.
Later, the police visited the shop and registered a case against two unidentified persons.
"As the population of the Panvel area is increasing, the consumer class has also increased. At such a time, shopkeepers also need to be vigilant. Though the police always cooperate with the traders, if patrolling is increased, such incidents can be prevented," said Panvel Jewelers Association Vice President Sanjay Jain.