The Tribune, February 25, 2005

Spate of robberies worries shopkeepers
Tribune News Service

Ambala, February 24
The spate of robberies in different shops over the past few days has caused concern among the businessmen here. Shops in Ambala Sadar as well as Ambala City have been burgled. The robbery incidents in shops have gone up in the past one week. The Ambala Cantt Traders Federation chairman, Dr N.C. Jain, said, “We demand that the police beef up the security, particularly in the market area,” he said.

He suggested that the police must ensure that the private watchmen are discharging their duty. “We have noticed that sometimes, the watchman hired by the shopkeepers can be found sitting somewhere else. If the police patrolling parties ensure that the watchman is doing his duty, then it could bring down such incidents,” he said.

Till date, 15 establishments, including a post office have been targeted by thieves in Ambala City and Ambala Cantt. The robbers decamped with cash and some other general merchandise items. In two medicine shops, the medicines were left untouched. The modus operandi of the thieves was to target shops which had shutters. Instead of breaking the locks, the shutters were pulled up creating enough space for a person to enter the shop. The thieves have struck at more than one shop in the same market. In Ambala City, the thieves broke into 11 shops located close to each other near Manav Chowk.