Eight armed men allegedly held a scrap trader’s family hostage during a late-night dacoity at their home in Kalchhina village, Ghaziabad, before escaping with cash and jewellery, according to a report by Live Hindustan – NCR. Police have formed five teams to search for the suspects.
The incident took place at about 2am on Monday in the Bhojpur police station area. The family’s house has a grocery shop at the front, and the suspects allegedly broke the shop’s lock before entering the residence through a smaller internal gate. The family told the publication that the intruders appeared familiar with the layout of the property.
According to the report, the suspects first threw a cloth-wrapped packet of burning chilli powder into a room. As the family came out amid smoke and choking, one of the men allegedly pointed a country-made pistol at Afrozi, the trader’s wife. The suspects then tied the trader’s hands and legs with her dupatta and brought the other family members under control.
The men allegedly threatened to abduct the children from school if the family informed the police after their departure. The report said the suspects demanded cash and silver, repeatedly asking where around Rs 5 lakh and 10 kilograms of silver had been kept. The family told the publication that the intruders searched the house for an extended period and assaulted Afrozi with a knife when she objected to the removal of her jewellery.
A child was also allegedly threatened with a knife at his neck while two suspects stood nearby with firearms and warned the family against raising an alarm. The report said the intruders eventually took around Rs 1.25 lakh in cash, gold and silver jewellery, and other valuables. The family members were then locked inside a room while the suspects left through a route towards the nearby jungle.
The report identified the resident as Saddam, who runs a scrap business in Delhi, and said he lives in the house with his wife and six children. It also reported that Saddam has previously undergone treatment for cancer and that one of his sons is receiving treatment in Delhi for a heart condition. Details in the report differ on the age of the child threatened during the robbery; the account also describes the duration of the raid differently in separate passages.
The apparent familiarity with the shop’s internal entrance, the home’s layout and the location of valuables has led the family to suspect that the attackers conducted prior reconnaissance. That remains an allegation from the family and has not been independently established in the supplied report.
Police have launched a search through five teams. Further official details on arrests, the identity of the suspects, the total value of the stolen property and the progress of the investigation were not available in the supplied report.
