Chandigarh: Dacoits decamp with cash, jewellery worth Rs 4.5 lakh; injure six

Panic gripped Manakpur Nanakchand village in Pinjore after a gang of around 12 men, armed with sticks, struck at a house in the wee hours on Friday, assaulted the family members and took away cash and jewellery worth around Rs 4.5 lakh.

Panic gripped Manakpur Nanakchand village in Pinjore after a gang of around 12 men, armed with sticks, struck at a house in the wee hours on Friday, assaulted the family members and took away cash and jewellery worth around Rs 4.5 lakh.

Six members of the family sustained injuries and were admitted to the Government Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula. The injured members have been identified as Gurmit Singh, his wife Bhupinder Kaur, younger brother Balwinder Singh, sister-in-law Ramanpreet Kaur, younger brother Dharminder Singh and sister in-law Sonia.

According to police, the Kala Kachha gang is suspected to be behind the crime. This is third incident reported in the region in past one week in which the gang has unleashed its terror.

Gang members had struck at a Barwala farm on May 17 and also a farmhouse in Mullanpur.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Gurmit opened the door after hearing someone knocking at the door around 2am. Around 12 assailants, who had their faces covered with clothes, stormed into the house and hit Gurmit on his head with a stick.

Hearing his screams, Gurmit’s wife came out and was also hit on head. One of the assailants held her hostage at gunpoint. Gurmit’s younger brother and sister in-law rushed to their rescue and were assaulted.

The gang members dragged Dharminder and Sonia from their room and thrashed them. All the family members were tied with ropes and the miscreants snatched the jewellery of the female members.

Gurmit said the gang members were speaking in Hindi dialect. They took all the mobile phones and destroyed them before leaving the house. The family members managed to contact their relatives and police. A team led by DCP Hamid Akthar visited the spot with a dog squad.

SIT CONSTITUTED

Ambala-Panchkula commissioner of police OP Singh constituted a special investigating team under DCP (crime) Surinder Bhoria to investigate the case. OP Singh said he held a meeting with the crime investigation agency (CIA) in-charge and all DCPs of the commissionerate to chalk out an action plan to deal with gangs targeting areas in the outer periphery of the district. Singh said that ACPs and DCPs will be on the roads in the night to oversee nakabandi and preventive patrolling.