The Hindu : New Delhi News : Dacoits strike in East Delhi

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Saturday, Sep 29, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Dacoits strike in East Delhi

Staff Reporter

Take a family hostage; decamp with jewellery, cash in the middle of the night

Two family members sustained head injuries
Third such incident within a span of five days

NEW DELHI: Taking a family hostage at gun-point, six young men armed with country-made pistols, knives and rods decamped with jewellery and several thousand rupees in cash at Jwala Nagar here on Friday. Two of the family members sustained head injuries during the dacoity operation.

It all happened around 2 in the morning when the dacoits, dressed in black and their faces covered, climbed up to the first floor and took the family hostage.

Recounting the incident, Durga Prasad Dubey said: “It was well past midnight and we all were fast asleep when someone suddenly hit my forehead with a rod. I got up and found myself surrounded by four men brandishing pistols and knives. They hit my wife in the head when she raised an alarm.”

The dacoits, two of whom were keeping vigil outside the room, aimed the pistol at the couple’s three-year-old daughter Bhumi and asked them to hand over the keys of the cupboard. “They ransacked the cupboard, opened the strong box and took away jewellery worth over Rs.20,000 and Rs.13,000 in cash. They also disconnected the phone line, took away our mobile phones and bolted the door from outside before leaving,” said Mr. Dubey.

More than two hours after the dacoits left, the family mustered up the courage to fix the phone and inform their relatives about the incident.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Ajay Chaudhry said: “We have some definite leads in the case and hope to crack it soon.”

It is the third such incident reported in the East Delhi district within a span of five days. Earlier, robbers had struck at different localities in the Krishna Nagar area on Monday and made off with jewellery and cash.

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