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Retired lekhpal’s family held hostage at gunpoint, ₹80L looted in Gorakhpur
The criminals allegedly assaulted Srivastava, injuring him on the head when he tried to resist and raise an alarm.
Four masked, armed men on motorcycles stormed the Gorakhpur home of a retired revenue employee (lekhpal) on Monday evening, holding the family hostage and executing a sensational dacoity. The 25-minute operation in the Rajhi locality, under the AIIMS Police Station area, resulted in the looting of cash and gold valuables worth nearly ₹80 lakh, gripping residents with panic.
According to police, the incident occurred around 7:30 pm when Balendu Srivastava, 70, a retired lekhpal, opened the door after the doorbell rang. As soon as he opened the door, the armed people forced their way inside. They held all family members at gunpoint, locked them in a room and threatened to kill them, including children, if they did not cooperate.
The criminals allegedly assaulted Srivastava, injuring him on the head when he tried to resist and raise an alarm. He told media persons that the assailants repeatedly asked about a cement shop, though no such shop is owned by the family.
The accused then forced the family to hand over the keys to cupboards and escaped with cash and jewellery worth approximately ₹80 lakh. Srivastava’s family and his brother’s family live together in the same house.
On Tuesday morning, ADG Zone Ashok Mutha Jain visited the victim’s residence. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Raj Karan Nayar said, “The criminals remained inside the house for around 20 to 25 minutes. A case has been registered, and police teams are scanning CCTV footage and working on several leads to trace the accused.”
He added that SP City Abhinav Tyagi is leading the investigation and five teams have been deployed to crack the case. A forensic team has collected evidence from the spot, and police are also investigating the involvement of criminals recently released on bail, along with other possible angles.
