Jewellery shops here remained closed on Sunday protesting against the killing of a jewellery shop owner Sudhir Soni under Bariatu Police Station. According to the family members, Soni was shot dead after he was kidnapped while he was returning home after closing the shop on Saturday evening. The family members of Soni also alleged that the killing took place due to a dispute over property. One person was arrested in connection with the murder.
“We have detained one person Md Shamim after the family members lodged a complaint against him mentioning an ongoing dispute over the jewellery shop,” said Ranchi SSP Prabhat Kumar. According to the FIR, despite agreement in place, Soni was being pressurized by the property owner Shamim to vacate the shop immediately, added the SSP.
The bullet-ridden body of Soni was found in Sindhwar Toli locality near Tagore Hill of Morhabadi on Sunday morning which was later sent to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences for post-mortem. The hands and legs were found to be tied with cables. Forensic experts and a dog squad were also called to investigate into the matter.
“Soni owns a rented jewellery shop near Antu Chawk in Morhabadi who, according to the family members, was getting threat from an owner of the property where the shop was located to vacate the shop even before the completion of agreement period,” said the SSP.
Officer in charge of Bariatu Police Station Vinod Kumar asserted that Shamim had a criminal background and had been to jail earlier also under Arms Act and was pressurising Soni for over a year to vacate the shop or face the music.
The family members, however, also alleged that sister of the deceased running a beauty parlour in the same building, also had to leave the place after a fire broke out in her shop. She was also being threatened by Shamim to vacate the shop.
The jewel traders, on the other hand, called an emergency meeting to chalk out the further strategy over the killing of a businessmen in the city. The jewelry shops in the city also remained closed on Sunday in protest of the killing of businessmen which has taken place in the last couple of months.
“This is really unfortunate that another incident of murder of a businessman took place in the city against which we have kept our shops open this Sunday. I talked to the SSP and City SP and they have assured that the case will solved soon and have detained one person identified by the family members in the FIR,” said President of Jewellery shops’ Association in Ranchi Vijay Burman. According to Burman, protest will be intensified if police failed to reach out to the culprits in a day or two.