In a shocking incident, a jewellery trader fell victim to a vicious attack and robbery in the vicinity of Vimaguda village, under the jurisdiction of Umerkote police, on Sunday night.
Chandan Soni, a 31-year-old jeweller residing in Vimaguda village, was returning home around 10 pm, accompanied by his 5-year-old son Piyush. He was carrying a bag containing valuable gold and silver ornaments after closing his shop for the day.
According to reports, Chandan, originally from Haraj village in Bihar’s Motihari district and living in Vimaguda for the past five months, was ambushed by four assailants armed with a sword and knife at the rear of his residence. The attackers viciously assaulted him and forcibly took away the bag containing approximately 40 grams of gold and 3 kilograms of silver jewellery, worth over ₹5 lakh.
Severely wounded, Chandan collapsed on the spot while the miscreants fled with the stolen jewellery. Local residents discovered Chandan in critical condition and promptly informed his family. He was then rushed to Umerkote sub-divisional hospital for medical attention. Due to the seriousness of his injuries, Chandan was later transferred to Sahid Laxman Nayak Medical College and Hospital in Koraput.
Damburudhar Pradhan, the Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Umerkote PS, visited the hospital to assess the situation. He confirmed that an investigation is underway but stated that no arrests have been made at this time.