Third grocery store robbery in a week alarms residents

Times News Network
Ludhiana: In a disturbing trend that has shaken the city's business community, a wholesale grocery store in Ludhiana was robbed on Thursday night—the third such incident in just one week. Armed assailants looted Rs 2 lakh cash and injured a 69-year-old shopkeeper during the attack.
The incident occurred at around 8.50pm at a store on Jassian Road, owned by Joginder Singh and his son, Surinder Singh, residents of the Durgapuri area in Haibowal. According to police, six robbers stormed the shop, two of them brandishing pistols and another wielding a sharp-edged weapon.
"Minutes before the robbers entered, we had just counted the day's earnings—over Rs 2 lakh," said Surinder Singh. "While my father was outside, I was at the counter when four men barged in. Two pointed guns at me and demanded the cash. As we resisted, one of them fired a shot, but I ducked and escaped unhurt."
Joginder Singh, however, was not as fortunate. As the robbers attempted to escape, he tried to intervene and was slashed on the hand with a sharp weapon. One of the robbers, who was unarmed, was apprehended by a store worker during the chaos.
Surinder added that the captured robber received a phone call from his accomplices moments later. "He told them that he had been caught and asked them to return, but they disconnected the call and fled," he said.
Police arrived shortly after and took the suspect into custody. The incident was captured on CCTV cameras. The footage is being reviewed as part of the investigation.
Although restaurants and eateries have been allowed to operate till 2am, grocery shops and general stores, which usually close by 10pm, are being targeted by miscreants.
Pattern of Violence
Third such attack in a week:
April 30: Four armed men looted Rs 10,000 from a departmental store in Kitchlu Nagar. The couple running the store were threatened with a sharp-edged weapon. Police later arrested three suspects; one remains at large.
April 25: Six masked robbers targeted a wholesale grocery shop near Jeevan Nagar. Although they threatened the staff with weapons, they managed to steal only Rs 4,000 as most of the cash had just been moved to a secure location.
Grocery stores under attack
- Jan 17: Unidentified miscreants broke into a wholesale grocery store at Kesarganj Mandi and decamped with Rs 50,000 cash. Store owner Jatinder Kumar said that the main shutter was locked and the accused entered the store from the rooftop by breaking the gate on the terrace open
- Jan 22: Miscreants allegedly threw a chemical on the shutter of a medical shop on GT Road in Khanna. Store owner Rajnish Wadhwan said that he found the CCTV cameras turned off
- April 14: Khanna police arrested seven members of a robbers' gang and recovered three country-made pistols, nine live cartridges, five magazines and two motorcycles from them. Police said that the accused attacked a grocery store and fired in the air before escaping on April 8
Police Response
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP-1) Sameer Verma confirmed that an FIR had been registered in the latest case. "Raids are underway to apprehend the remaining suspects. We are also analysing CCTV footage and phone records," he said.