Jewellers stage protest in Mumbai

Mumbai, April 12 (IANS) Over 2,000 mourners, part of the funeral of two jewellers who were murdered by four masked men near a busy suburban railway station, Thursday turned the funeral into a protest as they demanded that the police speed up the enquiry in the case.

"The funeral turned into a demonstration of sorts, when members of the Mumbai Jeweller's Association demanded that Mumbai Police take prompt steps to nab the killers," said Sanjay B. Jain, a jeweller.

At one point, the funeral procession came to a halt when fellow jewellers placed the bodies on a raised platform and refused to budge until they were assured of appropriate action.

"They moved the body only after Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik, who was also a part of the funeral, assured them that the criminals will be nabbed at the earliest," Jain added.

Jeweller Paras Parmar, 38, and his manager Hemant Mehta, 32, were attacked by four masked men armed with choppers, swords and guns Wednesday. The men brutally stabbed both the jewellers and escaped with a bag of jewels the duo was carrying.

While police are still to ascertain the exact value of the jewels robbed, it is estimated to be between 8 and 10kg of gold.

Parmar, a wholesale jeweller, had his office based in Zaveri Bazar and used to supply jewellery to shops in northwest Mumbai suburbs.

Police said the victims could have been carrying a larger amount of gold as business in Zaveri Bazar had resumed only recently after the strike over tax.