The owner of a jewellery store in Mukundapur was stabbed in his neck when he tried to resist a robbery and held on to the man who allegedly tried to loot ornaments on Sunday morning.

The owner, despite his injury, did not let the accused flee and handed him to the neighbours who had rushed in hearing his screams for help.

Police said the accused, Dipankar Pal, was a nurse at a private hospital nearby. “Pal said he had incurred huge losses in the stock market and was in debt. He said he had plotted the robbery to pay off his debt,” said an officer.

Sanjay Kumar Sarkar, the owner of Gitanjali Jewellers, has been admitted to the ICU of a hospital with multiple injuries. Hospital officials said his condition was stable.

“I rushed out hearing screams and saw Sanjay-da holding on to a man who was desperately trying to flee. Sanjay-da was soaked in blood. But he did not let go of the man,” said Nilanjan Mandal, who runs a shop close to Gitanjali Jewellers.

A neighbour said the accused was accompanied by another man, who fled when their plans went awry.

“Pal had carried out a recce in the store three days ago when he asked about two gold chains weighing 12g and 3g, worth Rs 1.4 lakh. Today, he asked the owner to show him those chains before launching the attack,” said deputy commissioner, east division, Arish Bilal.

Residents of the area said the shop, located at a marketplace in Mukundapur, had opened around 11am. Several customers had entered the store before the accused arrived around 11.30.

Sarkar was alone on the ground floor of the store when Pal attacked him. His employees and craftsmen were on the first floor.

The police have sealed the shop and are analysing CCTV footage.

Pal has been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section of robbery. He will be produced in court on Monday.

Pal has reportedly told the police that he had no intention of hurting the owner. “He said he just wanted to rob the shop, which he had visited a few days ago,” an officer said.

Several jewellery stores across Bengal were targeted by robbers in the recent past.

In one of the heists, the son of the owner of a jewellery store in Barrackpore was shot dead when he tried to resist.