VHP senior leader, family held hostage, valuables worth ₹50 lakh looted

All four suspects were caught in less than 18 hours of the incident by a special investigation team formed by Palwal SP Varun Singla after the matter came to light. Singla had also visited the spot to conduct an investigation.

Four unidentified armed suspects looted cash and ornaments worth ₹50 lakh and two vehicles from the residence of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) state leader after taking him and his family members hostage at Dhaulagarh in Palwal early Monday morning, said police officers.

Investigators said that after the suspects fled, the couple untied each other’s wrists and their son’s wrist and alerted neighbours who informed the police about the incident. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

All four suspects were caught in less than 18 hours of the incident by a special investigation team formed by Palwal SP Varun Singla after the matter came to light. Singla had also visited the spot to conduct an investigation.

Om Prakash Sharma, 67, is a senior leader of the VHP and also owns two tile manufacturing factories in Palwal.

According to police, the incident took place between 1.30am and 3am when four suspects armed with pistols and knives entered the two-story house after climbing on the terrace. They entered the room in which Prakash and his wife Harwati (single name), 62, were asleep and took them hostage after tying their limbs and sticking tapes on their mouths. They entered another bedroom in which their son Yash Sharma, 40, was asleep and also took him hostage.

Afterwards, the suspects, who had kept their faces covered, ransacked the entire house and found ₹22 lakh cash and ornaments worth ₹28 lakhs.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) (headquarters) Anil Kumar said that the suspects took the keys of a motorcycle and a scooter from the family and fled from the spot riding them.

Kumar said that after raids at multiple locations, crime branch teams nabbed the prime accused Navin Kumar, Sachin, Ravinder alias Ravi and Dharmender Kumar alias Monu, all in their early 20s, by Monday evening. The suspects were taken on four-day police remand for interrogation after production before a Palwal court on Tuesday.

“These four suspects are originally from Dhaulagarh and were involved in the robbery at Sharma’s house. We have recovered the entire looted valuables and cash except the two vehicles. We are trying to ascertain if some other suspects are also involved with them in the dacoity,” said DSP Kumar.

“The suspects had taken away all the mobile phones lying inside the house so that the victims could not alert the cops immediately. They had also lifted the car keys, documents and several other items and had also turned off the CCTV cameras,” said DSP Kumar.

“The suspects had threatened Sharma and his wife at gunpoint and took the cupboard keys from them, where the cash and ornaments were kept. The cash was the collection from Sharma’s two factories,” said Kumar.

Investigators said that after the suspects fled, the couple untied each other’s wrists and their son’s wrist and alerted neighbours who informed the police about the incident.

On Sharma’s complaint, an FIR under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita including robbery and Arms Act was registered at Camp Palwal police station on Monday.