A local jeweller was shot dead and jewellery worth an estimated ₹60 lakh stolen in broad daylight at the Kotmi weekly market in Pendra on Tuesday evening, officials and witnesses said. The attack has sparked protests, roadblocks and renewed questions about law-and-order in parts of northern Chhattisgarh.

What happened
According to police and eyewitnesses, 45-year-old jeweller Pradeep Soni had closed his stall around 7 pm and was preparing to leave when three men on a single motorcycle approached him. Sources familiar with the case said the assailants grabbed a bag containing gold and silver ornaments; when Soni resisted, one of the men fired at close range, striking him in the chest.

Immediate response
Kotmi chowki police reached the scene within minutes after receiving calls from bystanders. Soni was rushed to the district hospital in Pendra but doctors declared him dead on arrival, Dr Prashant Ratre of the district hospital said. Officials recovered empty cartridges and bloodstains from the market area and sealed off the spot for investigation.

Scope of loss
Police estimate the stolen jewellery to be worth around ₹60 lakh based on initial inventory provided by the family. CCTV footage obtained from the area shows Soni leaving home in the morning carrying a bag of ornaments; witnesses said the weekly market attracts large crowds on Tuesdays, and Soni regularly visited a nearby Hanuman temple before closing his stall.

Police action
Pendra police said they have launched a multi-district search for the suspects. Checkpoints have been set up in six neighbouring districts — Bilaspur, Korba, Manendragarh, Anuppur, Dindori and Korea — to intercept the motorcycle and trace the perpetrators, a senior officer told reporters on condition of anonymity. No arrests have been made so far.

Community reaction
The killing shook the local business community. Shops in Pendra remained closed on Wednesday as traders observed a shutdown in protest. Family members, angry at the lack of arrests, took Soni’s body to Durga Chowk and staged a road blockade late Tuesday night, demanding immediate action from police and district authorities. “They killed him in front of everyone,” a relative told reporters at the hospital, declining to be named.

Political response
The state Congress raised broader concerns about public safety, saying the incident underlines deteriorating law and order. The party’s social media account described the situation as “an environment of impunity” for criminals and said major towns such as Raipur and Bilaspur were no longer safe. Former MLA Shailesh Pandey said the murder had created fear among ordinary citizens and traders, accusing police of failing to make arrests promptly.

Forensics and probe
Investigators are collecting forensic evidence from the market and examining CCTV footage along potential escape routes. The body was sent for post-mortem to determine the exact number of gunshot wounds; doctors said one bullet was recovered from the chest at hospital but the autopsy will confirm details. Police are also tracking recent incidents of jewellery-related robberies in the region to determine if there is a link.

Local context
The murder follows other high-value lootings in the region in recent days, including a separate reported theft of jewellery worth about ₹25 lakh in Bilaspur’s Sipat area on the same Tuesday evening. Those incidents have heightened anxiety among traders who say they face increasing risk while transporting goods to weekly markets.

What’s next
District police said they will present leads from the ongoing probe at a briefing later in the day and appealed to the public for information that could help identify the suspects. Meanwhile, trader bodies have threatened further shutdowns if arrests are not made quickly.

Related developments will be monitored as investigators comb CCTV, witness accounts and cross-district checkpoints for the motorcycle and three suspects.