Ganesh Nanda is trying to look ahead to Diwali, but he's still thinking about yesterday.

"It is scary," says Nanda. "It happens first time in my business."

Two men came into his store on Main Street and browsed the jewellery cases. A third man came in and jammed the secure door open with an umbrella.

"When he put umbrella into door, I thought something bad is going to happen," says Nanda.

And he was right.

Surveillance video from the store shows three men browsing the cases. All of a sudden, one man holds up a gun to Nanda's face. As the gunman holds the owner, the others smashed and grabbed as much jewellery as they could stuff into a backpack -- an estimated $500,000 worth.

"What was going though mind, not strong guy, take him down, but I thought life is more important than fighting with that idiot," says Nanda.

Little India has been hit a couple of times this year. Armed robbers cleaned out Bharati Jewellers in April. Those thieves also held staff and customers at gunpoint.

"Thieves don't come to little India looking for diamonds or watches. They're after an even hotter commodity: Pure gold.

With prices at an all-time high, it can be found in abundance at Indian jewellry stores.

And Diwali is when it really sells. The thieves may have robbed Nanda of 20 per cent of his annual income.

"It hurts, but you can do nothing," he says.

Nanda feels there's a good chance the robbers will get caught. They walked in without masks and their faces are as clear as day.

Meanwhile, Nanda has some work ahead of him to be ready in time for the biggest festival of the year.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Renu Bakshi