KARIMNAGAR: The daylight robbery at a PMJ Jewellery store in Karimnagar on Sunday morning left the city in shock. Injured staff and eyewitnesses recounted tense moments inside the showroom.
Kamal, a senior sales staff member who sustained injuries to his ribs and hand and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital, said the gang executed the plan swiftly.
“Initially, one person entered and asked for a gold chain and a gold ring. While we were assisting him, the others walked in and suddenly pulled out guns. They warned us not to move and pointed pistols at close range,” he said.
He added that when staff attempted to resist and overpower the burglars, the gang opened fire.
“We alerted each other and tried to stop them, but they fired at us,” Kamal said.
The robbers also demanded locker keys. “If the keys had been handed over, the loss would have been much higher, as more ornaments were stored inside,” he noted.
He added that the store usually has around 15 staff members, but three were on leave on Sunday, leaving fewer people to respond.
Ajay, a security guard who suffered injuries to his hand, said the staff initially mistook the weapons for fake ones. “At first, we thought the pistols were dummy guns. But when they started firing, panic spread,” he said.
Another staff member, Rajitha, said she was shaken after learning about the incident. She had arrived at the store shortly after the robbery.
A local youth, Shivakrishna, who witnessed the burglars fleeing, said he had a close encounter with them. “They pointed a pistol at me when I saw them running out. I jumped over a wall and hid near a tree to save myself,” he said.
A worker from the nearby Mahalaxmi Kirana store said he narrowly escaped being caught in the incident. “I supply milk packets to the jewellery shop around 11 am every day. On Sunday, I was late, and that turned out to be lucky for me,” he said.