Trader killed during heist

Calcutta, Jan. 22: Robbers shot dead a businessman in front of his wife and children in South 24-Parganas' Baruipur early today when he refused to hand over the almirah keys to them.

Sirajul Mollah, who used to run a factory that produces jam, jelly and cream used to make pastries along with his brother, was sleeping when the robbers broke into his room.

Minutes earlier, one of the robbers had hit Sirajul's elder brother Shamsul with the butt of a revolver and snatched the keys to the almirah in his room. Shamsul suffered a bleeding injury.

The robbers escaped with cash and jewellery worth about Rs 13 lakh.

According to police, a dozen armed robbers wearing masks broke open the collapsible gate and the door on the ground floor of the three-storey house in Baruipur's Kazipara, 30km from Calcutta. While six robbers entered, the rest surrounded the house and kept watch.

The robbers went to the first floor and knocked on Samsul's door. "They pointed a gun at me and asked me to hand over the almirah keys. They hit me on the head with a revolver butt. They took away cash, jewellery and two cellphones," Samsul, 48, said.

"The robbers locked the door from outside and threatened to kill me and my wife if we raised the alarm," he said.

The gang then entered Sirajul's room on the other side of the stairs and demanded the keys to the almirah in his room. Sirajul, his wife Rehana, two minor daughters and six-month-old son were asleep.

"My husband got involved in a scuffle with the robbers. During the fight, the mask of one of the robbers came off and probably, my husband recognised him. A robber shot him twice in his chest. They took away cash, jewellery and cellphones," Rehana said.

The robbers left behind five crude bombs.

Neighbours took the brothers to Baruipur sub-divisional hospital, where Sirajul was declared dead on arrival.

Residents alleged the police came nearly an hour after being informed even though the local police station is less than a kilometre away.

The police have detained three persons following raids in Baruipur.

The residents blocked the Baruipur-Canning Road for four hours from 6am to protest the crime. They also gheraoed Baruipur police station demanding that the culprits be arrested.

District police chief L.N. Meena and additional superintendent K.P. Barui visited the house later in the day.

Barui said the police were probing if the Mollahs had any business rivals.