Police officers inspect the medicine shop after the loot on Monday. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, Aug. 5: Three goons looted Rs 1.70 lakh at gunpoint from a medicine shop here today.

Owner of Krushna Chandra Medical Store A. Krishnamurthy was alone at the shop when the incident took place.

The entire operation has been recorded on the closed-circuit television camera installed in the shop.

“The goons, aged between 18 and 25, came on two motorbikes. One of them stood outside the shop, while the others entered. One youth, who had a minor cut on his finger, asked for medicine. When I was taking out the medicine from shelf, the other youth forcefully entered the counter and took out a pistol from his pocket. He asked me to hand over all the cash to him. He even pushed me with his elbow when I folded my hands and begged for my life,” said Krishnamurthy.

The criminals first opened the upper drawer and took out Rs 800 from there. Thereafter, they asked the owner to hand over more money.

“I gave them Rs 3,000, which I had in my pocket. One of them opened the lower drawer, the key of which was lying on the table. There they found Rs 1,66,200 in cash. They took all of it and ran away. I saw them speeding away towards Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Medical College and Hospital Road,” Krishnamurthy said.

“We had kept the cash, collected through sales of medicine on Saturday and Sunday, in the shop. We were supposed to pay the amount to wholesalers,” said Krishnamurthy.

“I open the shop daily at 4.30am and my employees come at 6.30am. I opened the shop in 1973, and this is the first time something like that has happened,” he said.

Inspector in charge of BNPur police station Deepak Mishra said police had registered a case and the closed-circuit television camera footage would help in apprehending the culprits.