Armed robbers shoot and kill 2 jewellery shop employees during loot attempt in Odisha 

Two jewellery shop employees were killed after unidentified miscreants opened fire at them during a brazen robbery attempt outside the gold jewellery shop in Panikoili of Jajpur district on Saturday afternoon.

The deceased, identified as Nila Madhab Panda, died after sustaining a bullet wound in the stomach. On the other hand, another person accompanying him, reported to be another employee of the jewellery shop, took a bullet to his thigh and was admitted to hospital in critical condition. However, he also succumbed to the bullet injury after being brought to Bhubaneswar for treatment.

Sources reported that several assailants arrived on motorbikes and opened fire after facing resistance during a loot attempt on the jewellery shop in a busy stretch of the bustling Panikoili market.

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Incidentally, locals tried to overpower the robbers and managed to apprehend two of the accused even as at least two others managed to flee. Chaos and tension prevailed in the area as a large crowd gathered around the scene littered with a pistol and bullet casings.

Meanwhile, Jajpur Police arrived at the spot and took the two apprehended accused into custody. Till last received reports, a search & investigation was underway to nab those who fled and ascertain the nature and items of the loot.

The incident once again threw light on the growing cases of armed robbery in the state. As early as yesterday, a gang of armed robbers carried out a robbery in broad daylight at the Manappuram Gold Loan office in Sambalpur. The robbers reportedly decamped with crores worth of gold jewellery after holding the employees and customers hostage at gunpoint.

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