Markets in Nawada district's Warsaliganj town remained closed on Friday following the murder of a jewellery shop owner on Thursday night.

Om Shankar Lal, alias Lallu, was near his home on Old Bank Road around 9pm on Thursday when three criminals shot him dead. He was on his way back after closing his shop, Gayatri Jewellers, on the Warsaliganj main road around 1km away.

The criminals, riding on a motorcycle, fled the spot (around 115km northeast of Patna) unchallenged with a bag containing gold ornaments worth over Rs 25 lakh. Police said Lal received two fatal bullet injuries and died on the spot.

As news of 40-year-old Lal's murder spread in the town, angry residents and shopowners took to the streets to protest against the fast deteriorating law and order situation in the town.

The residents sloganeered against the police and didn't even allow officers to take away the body for post-mortem for over 16 hours.

Around 1pm on Friday, the police managed to take possession of the jeweller's body and send it for post-mortem at the sadar hospital. By then, the traders had taken out processions, burnt effigies, blocked the road and disrupted traffic, demanding arrest of the accused.

While some of the traders downed their shutters in protest against the murder, a group of protesters forcibly disrupted the functioning of other business establishments.

All the protesters dispersed from the spot on Friday afternoon on Nawada superintendent of police (SP)'s assurances of speedy action against the accused.

The SP, Parvez Akhtar said Warsaliganj police station house officer Raj Kumar has been suspended for dereliction of duty and departmental proceedings would be initiated against him. Jyoti Basu would replace Raj who has been shifted to the Police Lines.

He added that efforts were on to ascertain the identity of the gang involved in the crime. "A special team led by a deputy superintendent of police-rank officer has been instituted to probe the incident," he said.

The jewellery shop owners in Warsaliganj have announced to keep their establishments closed till Sunday as a mark of protest against the law and order situation. Residents claimed night patrolling was inadequate in the town.

The representatives of the district unit of jewellery shop owners' association claimed the fraternity had become soft target of the criminals. At least three prominent jewellers in the town have either been kidnapped or murdered in the past two years, they told the police.

The police although caught up with another gang plotting to kill a builder and liquor shop owner in the town. Three men - Ravi Chaudhary, Babulal Lohar and Chandal Halwai - were arrested on the outskirts of Warsaliganj. The police also recovered three pistols and several cartridges from them. SP Akhtar said: "The three were earlier arrested on charges of kidnapping, murder and loot. They are history-sheeters and had planned to kill liquor shop owner Rajeev Sinha and a builder."