‘We are easy targets’

On Monday night, Ladulal Daroga, who owns Mayur Jewelers in Santacruz, was attacked and robbed of valuables worth around Rs 4 lakh as he returned to his shop after buying jewelry from Zaveri Bazaar.

On Monday night, Ladulal Daroga (30), who owns Mayur Jewelers in Santacruz, was attacked and robbed of valuables worth around Rs 4 lakh as he returned to his shop after buying jewelry from Zaveri Bazaar.

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Daroga sustained multiple injuries after two men assaulted him with a wooden stick and robbed him at Vakola. “Attacks on jewelers are becoming an everyday phenomenon. Since we regularly carry valuables, we are easy targets,” Daroga said, adding it was practically impossible for every jeweler to move with a bodyguard round the clock.

After recuperating in the Intensive Care Unit at Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra (E), he was discharged on Friday.

“On Monday, Daroga had gone to Zaveri Bazaar to buy gold and silver. After alighting at Santacruz station, he hired a rickshaw and headed to his shop,” said an officer.

After stepping out of the rickshaw, Daroga was walking towards his shop when two unidentified men accosted him. “One started hitting my head, shoulders, hands and legs with a wooden stick and I collapsed on the ground,” Daroga said.

The jeweler, with help from acquaintances who live in the vicinity, went to the police station, from where he was taken to the hospital. Vakola police are still clueless about the two attackers. “We have prepared sketches and are making inquires,” said police inspector Sanjay Kulkarni.