The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Elderly couple robbed at gunpoint

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Thursday, Jun 11, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Elderly couple robbed at gunpoint

Staff Reporter

Relieved of Rs. 2.5 lakh and gold jewellery weighing 200 grams

Culprits enter posing as prospective tenants
Robbers spoke in Telugu with an Andhra accent

HYDERABAD: Armed robbers struck during daytime on Wednesday at Laxmireddipalem in Hayathnagar taking away Rs. 2.5 lakh and gold jewellery weighing 200 grams from an aged couple after entering their house in the guise of prospective tenants.

The four men, speaking Telugu with Andhra accent, approached L. Sambasiva Rao (74) and his wife L. Vijayavani (66) first on June 8 seeking two vacant shop spaces on the ground-floor of their house on rent.

They promised to pay advance money on Wednesday morning.

The police said they went to the couple’s house on the first floor around noon and one of them asked for drinking water. As Vijayavani went towards the fridge one of them followed her, gagged her mouth and held a revolver to her head. Meanwhile, another gang member whipped out a pistol and threatened to shoot Rao if he raised an alarm.

Later, they tied the couple, ransacked the entire house and collected the gold jewellery and Rs. 2.5 lakh and some Fixed Deposit Receipts worth Rs. 20 lakh from the almirah. Before fleeing, the robbers plastered the mouths of Rao and his wife and pushed them in a bathroom.

The couple managed to open the bathroom door as it was not locked and alerted the tenants, mostly transport operators, running offices on the ground floor.

However, the tenants could not give any clues to the police stating that they had not noticed anyone going upstairs.

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Andhra Pradesh