More than 300 jewellers running shops in Sonar Patti Gola Road and Garibnath Temple Road shut shop on Wednesday to protest robbery of 250g gold worth around Rs 10 lakh from a gold trader near Gola Road.

Criminals intercepted Jaiswal riding a bike with son Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal in pillion on way back home after closing down his jewellery shop. They snatched the gold at gunpoint and opened several rounds of fire to intimidate Jaiswal and others.

Members of Swarn Veyavesai Sangh, under the aegis of North Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industries, squatted outside their shops on Sonar Patti through the day, protesting the police's failure in checking crime against the trading community.

"Traders feel unsafe, as criminals roam the roads to loot them," said Azmat Mallick, a jewellery shop owner in Sonar Patti.

A delegation of Swarn Veyavesai Sangh, headed by Dilip Kumar and Sanjay Thakur, met the superintendent of police (city), Anand Kumar, who assured necessary police help.