Deganga: A gang of men hurled bombs at a crowded market in Deganga close to the Barasat-Basirhat road and robbed two jewellery shops on Sunday night.

One of the shop owners was injured when he tried to resist and the men hit him with sharp weapons.

The robbery occurred around 9pm when the market, barely 1.5km from the local police station, was teeming with vendors and shoppers.

"A gang of 10 to 12 men entered the market beside the road that connects the area with Calcutta and other places in North 24-Parganas and hurled at least five crude bombs," an officer of Deganga police station said. "They wanted to scare away the people in the market."

As the crowd panicked and fled, the men split into two groups and stormed the shops. They took away the keys to the iron chests from the owners and filled their bags with gold and silver jewellery, the officer said.

Udayan Karmakar tried to resist and he was attacked with a knife, police said. Gobinda Pal, the other shop owner, fled.

The employees of his shop were held at gunpoint, the police said.

Karmakar was taken to a health-care centre and later shifted to Barasat District Hospital.

The gang took 10 minutes to rob the shops and flee. The total value of the robbed jewellery is about Rs 2 lakh, the police said.

After the robbers fled, traders blocked the road demanding police action. The blockade was lifted after officers assured them that the men would be arrested soon.

A few shops in the market have CCTV cameras. "We are going through footage of various cameras," the officer said.

The police suspect the men were from nearby areas. The two shops are close to each other and that's the reason why the men targeted them, the officer said.

"We have recorded the statements of the two shop owners and other witnesses. We are trying to identify the suspects," another officer said. "Raids at various places late on Sunday drew a blank."