5 armed men loot ₹1 crore from Faridabad property dealer’s new house

The suspects allegedly scaled the house’s boundary wall, tied Abdul Karim to a cot and searched the property before fleeing with the cash in nine minutes.

Five unidentified suspects allegedly looted ₹1 crore cash from the newly built house of a property dealer in Faridabad’s Fatehpur Taga after holding him hostage at gunpoint and tying him to a cot for around six hours, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place around 2.20am when the victim, Abdul Kari, was sleeping at his house while his family members were away. Police said Karim had recently finalised the purchase of a land parcel at a prime location in Faridabad and was scheduled to complete its registry on Saturday. The looted cash was the final payment to the seller, for which Karim had sold immovable properties at a few locations, investigators said.

According to police, the five suspects, armed with pistols and knives, entered the house after scaling its boundary wall. They woke Karim and took him hostage at gunpoint before tying him to a cot with ropes and using clothes to gag him.

A senior police officer said one suspect guarded Karim while the others searched and ransacked the house. “The suspects first asked for the keys of the almirah and a box, which Karim refused to give when they broke the locks to stumble up to the cash kept in them,” he said.

Yashpal Yadav, public relations officer of Faridabad police, said Karim had recently shifted to the house. “He was yet to shift all his household items before the incident took place. “Probably suspects targeted the newly built house, assuming they can get some valuables,” he said.

Yadav said four teams of crime branches and district police had been formed to arrest the suspects and recover the cash. Forensic teams collected fingerprints and other evidence. There was no CCTV camera inside or near the house, so police are scanning footage from other locations to establish the suspects’ route.

Officials are also questioning the family to ascertain whether anyone had been told about the cash.

An FIR was registered on Karim’s complaint under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including armed dacoity, and the Arms Act at Dhauj police station.