Domestic help is prime suspect in over ₹1 crore heist at Ghaziabad home

The family had employed a domestic help, Chandan (single name), about two years ago, and he left the house after finishing work around 8.30pm on Tuesday. The armed men kept taking his name during the robbery and also knew where the valuables were kept in the house, police said

Several armed robbers late Tuesday night fled with cash and jewellery worth over ₹1 crore from the house of an industrialist in Block A of Kavi Nagar, Ghaziabad, police said on Wednesday. Senior officers said they are on the lookout for a domestic help employed by the industrialist, who is currently on the run, along with several of his accomplices.

(Above) The home of industrialist RD Gupta, 78, in Block A, Kavi Nagar. According to Gupta, armed men barged into his home, held him and his wife at knifepoint and made off with cash and jewellery worth more than ₹1 crore on Tuesday night. (Sakib Ali/HT photo)

The incident happened at the house of RD Gupta, 78. He and his wife, Sumitra Gupta, 77, were at home at the time of the burglary. The Guptas have two daughters -- one of them is studying in the US while the other is in Ajmer. His son was vacationing in Goa since January 4, police said.

Gupta said that the family has a factory in Ghaziabad that manufactures alloy steel castings.

The family had employed a domestic help, Chandan (single name), about two years ago, and he left the house after finishing work around 8.30pm on Tuesday. A guard, identified as Vishnu (single name), was also posted at the main gate of the house. Both men hailed from Bihar, police said.

“My wife and I were watching television when two men wearing masks entered our room. They overpowered us, and held us at knifepoint. They threatened us and told us that they were there to loot us. They were constantly on the phone and taking the name of Chandan. After getting directions on the phone, they started searching the exact places where we kept valuables. They opened the drawers and pocketed about ₹20 lakh cash,” Gupta said on Wednesday.

Gupta’s house is barely 200 metres from the office of the Ghaziabad police commissioner and the district magistrate’s office.

Gupta said the robbers also got hold of the keys to one of the rooms where the jewellery was kept.

“The jewellery was worth about ₹1.5-2 crore. I did not resist the robbers as they were armed and could have harmed us. There were three to four more men with the robbers. After they fled and everything fell silent , we came out and informed the police. While Chandan left the house around 8.30pm, he asked the guard not to lock the main gate,” Gupta said.

An FIR was filed under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 310(2) (five or more persons conjointly commit or attempt to commit a robbery) at Kavi Nagar police station.

The FIR said that guard Vishnu was found tied up in the room where Chandan lived.

The police said that they have formed several teams to trace the help.

“Our teams are searching for Chandan and the role of the guard is under scrutiny. He is being questioned. The family has lost a substantial amount of cash and jewellery,” said Rajesh Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (city).