Criminals looted Rs 4.5 lakh from a woman trader and shot her on Monday night, a few hours after North Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industries members discussed the deteriorating law-and-order problem with police here.
Ragini Kumar (35) was into gold business and was shot dead by motorcycle-borne criminals when she was returning home after collecting money from one of her customers to whom she had sold some jewellery.
Her husband, Awadhesh Kumar, was accompanying her but the criminals did not attack him because he didn't resist their move.
Ragini, who was carrying the money, however, resisted the criminals and ended up losing her life.
Awadhesh and Ragini had a jewellery shop at Parti Tola. The couple had gone to Kolhua village, on the northern fringe of the town for collecting money from Javed, who had called them to his native place to clear the dues.
He paid Rs 4.5 lakh to the couple, which they were carrying when the criminals attacked them near Ahiyapur under at 10pm.
The woman trader was brought to Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared her brought dead.
Muzaffarpur superintendent of police Ranjit Kumar Mishra said Javed, from whom the couple had got money, had been taken into custody as the police were suspecting his role in the murder of the woman.
Amid investigations, jewellers in the town downed their shutters on Tuesday to register their protest. The NBCCI members had a long discussion on Monday evening on the deteriorating law and order condition in the town, the commercial hub of north Bihar.
"We are really worried the way things are happening here. We condemn the murder of the woman and demand action against all those who are out to make life of the business community tough," NBCCI chairman Motilal Chaparia said.