Kolkata, Aug 30 (IANS): Simultaneous robbery attempts at two gold-jewellery shops of the same retail trading entity was witnessed in two different districts in West Bengal. While one shop was looted, the other witnessed a brief gunfight between the police and robbers.

The incidents happened on Tuesday evening.

The first incident of the robbery was witnessed at Ranaghat town in Nadia district and the second attempt was at Namopara in Purulia district. Incidentally, both the shops where the robbery attempts were made were owned by renowned gold-jewellery trading entity Senco Gold.

In case of the Ranaghat incident, the matter was brought to the notice of the local police station, who rushed to the spot immediately and intercepted miscreants. Following the interception there was an exchange of bullets between the police and miscreants in which a policeman was injured.

While the police were able to nab the miscreants, a few others accompanying the robbers escaped. The police have started a massive manhunt to track and nab the absconding miscreants.

In the Namopara incident as many as eight miscreants armed with firearms entered the jewellery shop of Senco Gold and escaped after looting jewellery worth Rs 7 lakh. In this case too the police have started a massive manhunt to track the miscreants.

Meanwhile, political mudslinging has surfaced over the twin robberies at busy market places in the two locations.

While the opposition parties have claimed that the twin incidents prove the pathetic law and order situation in West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress has accused the opposition forces of politicizing every issue.

An association of gold jewellery merchants has already written a letter to the state chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi expressing concern over the twin robbery.

The association has demanded proper security arrangement to avoid recurrence of similar incidents in future.