Two unidentified persons robbed a goldsmith of 10 tolas of gold ornaments after forcing him to drink acid at Neredmet on Friday afternoon, the police said on Saturday. The condition of the goldsmith is stated to be critical.
The jeweller, M. Manohar, runs Sri Balaji Gold Jewellery shop at PB colony in Neredmet. On Friday, according to the police, two persons came to his shop at around 12.30 p.m. The offenders, who spoke in Hindi, asked him to hand over gold ornaments that he was carrying with him.
“One of the miscreants forcefully snatched 10 tolas of gold and when I shouted at them, they forced me to drink acid that was kept in the shop. The offenders downed the shutters of the shop before fleeing,” Manohar told the police.
The incident came to light on Friday evening when the goldsmith’s wife came to the shop and found him lying on the shop floor.
Manohar was rushed to a private hospital where he is undergoing treatment. He told the police that he was unconscious soon after the incident.
“He is giving conflicting versions about the incident. There are no visible injuries to suggest that he got unconscious after the incident. We doubt his theory and we will question him once he is discharged from hospital,” the Inspector added. Moreover, there are no closed circuit cameras installed in the shop.
