Armed robbers committed robbery in three jewellery shops after shooting dead a guard of the market at Jindabazar in Sylhet city on Wednesday night.
Two others sustained bullet wounds in the firing and bomb explosion by the robbers.
The deceased was identified as Badsha Mia, 48, guard of Nehar Market.
In protest at the incident, businessmen barricaded roads and vandalised several vehicles.
Witnesses said a group of 15-16 robbers attacked East Jindabazar’s Nehar Market at around 7:45pm when electricity was off amid thunder storm.
The robbers hurled 15-20 crude bombs and then attacked jewellery shops on the ground floor of the market.
They vandalised and looted three shops there.
As the owners and guard tried to resist them, the robbers opened fire on them indiscriminately.
Guard Badsha Mia, manager of Al-Baraka Jewellers, Ranjit Chakraborty, and salesman Salim Mia were injured by bullets in the firing.
Badsha was rushed to the Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
After 10 minutes of vandalism and looting, the robbers fled the scene, said the market caretaker Syed Helal Monir
He said they called the nearby Kotwali police station several times, but police took about more than an hour to reach the spot.
In the meantime, the robbers fled the spot safely, he said.
Businessmen of the area brought out a procession protesting at the incident and delay arrival of police.
They barricaded roads and vandalised several vehicles.
At last, police reached the market at 9:15, about one and a half hour after the robbery.
Kotwali police station officer-in-charge Ahmed Nasiruddin said their dealy was due to heavy rain and thunder storm.
Caretaker of the market Syed Helal Monir said the amount of damage caused by the robbers could not be estimated immediately.
No case was filed till filing of the report at around 10:30pm.
-With New Age input
