Three men posing as customers entered a jewellery shop in the city and opened fire in a robbery attempt, but were outdone by the store owner and his wife with some quick thinking and a good pair of lungs.

The incident happened at Samrat Jewels in Palace Guttahalli in Vyalikaval on Wednesday. Three men in a black Pulsar motorcycle pulled up outside the store around 2.30 pm. The trio entered the store and asked the owner, Aashish, to show them some ‘Sachin Tendulkar design’ gold chains. One was still wearing his helmet.

While Aashish was about to display chains of the said design, one of the men suddenly took out a pistol and fired a shot threatening him and his wife Rakhi, who was also present at the store.

Rakhi wasted no time picking up a chair and hurling it at the gunman, while Aashish screamed his lungs out, calling for help. A bullet missed the couple and hit the wall.

The trio then made a dash for the exit and sped away on their bike.

Aashish told the police that the men “didn’t speak in any language” but just asked for “Tendulkar design gold chain”.

“When I was about to display the items, I noticed that two of them were wielding guns. While one was still trying to load his gun, the other fired one shot randomly to threaten us,” said Aashish.

“We don’t suspect any of our employees. The men were strangers,” he said.

The incident was captured by CCTV cameras at the store and the police are analysing the footage to identify the culprits.

“We have got definite clues about the culprits and hope to catch them soon,” said Chetan Singh Rathore, DCP Central.

Soon after the incident, senior police officers, including city police commissioner Bhaskar Rao, visited the spot and took stock of the situation. The Vyalikaval police have registered a case of attempt to murder, attempt to robbery and appropriate sections under the Arms Act, and are investigating.