Jewellery store salesman shot dead by two bike-borne men in Thane's Shahapur

Thane: A 25-year-old jewellery store salesman was killed after two unidentified persons fired at him and his employer in Shahapur in Maharashtra's Thane district, a police official said on Sunday.

The incident took place at 10:30pm on Saturday when deceased Dineshkumar Manaram Chaudhary, his employer and one more person had called it a day and were waiting outside Mahalaxmi Jewellers in Gotheghar area, the official said.

"Two motorycle-borne persons fired some rounds, which hit Chaudhary, who succumbed to his wounds some time later at a hospital in Thane. He passed away in the early hours of Sunday. They stole a bag Chaudhary was carrying," the Shahapur police station official said.

Chaudhary was a salesman with Mahalaxmi Jewellers, Senior Inspector Jitendra Thakur said, adding the motive of the incident remains unclear.

"A probe has begun under the supervision of Deputy Superintendent of Police Milind Shinde. Road blocks have been set up in several places in the district to nab the assailants. CCTV footage from the area as well as stretches of Mumbai-Nashik highway are being checked to ascertain their route of escape," the official informed.

The firing incident has caused widespread discontent among the business community in the area, with the Shahapur Trade Association asking police to nab the culprits as quickly as possible.