Over half a dozen masked intruders reportedly broke into the residence of Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, September 6. They cut off the electricity and ransacked the entire property, triggering a scare across the Bijalpur neighbourhood in Indore’s Rajendra Nagar area.
The intruders who broke in at around 2 am cut the electricity of the house and disabled the CCTV cameras. Amid pitch black darkness, they then forced their way inside with covered faces, breaking drawers and lockers in the office area of the house, NDTV reported.
Despite the break-in, the gang left valuables and mobile phones behind, raising suspicions that it was not a robbery.
Not just Jitu Patwari's home, the intruders later moved on to the three or four other houses in the neighbourhood and were on a rampage for two and a half hours. Chief Municipal Officer (CMO) Rajkumar Thakur and Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board (MPEB) officer Narendra Dubey's homes were also among the properties trespassed.
The intruders were last seen around 4:30 am by the residents. In each of the houses, the burglars tried to cut through the window nets and attempted to break in.
{{/usCountry}}The intruders were last seen around 4:30 am by the residents. In each of the houses, the burglars tried to cut through the window nets and attempted to break in.
{{/usCountry}}While the CCTV installed at Patwari's home failed to capture the intruders due to the power cut, the gang was seen on the camera installed at the homes of the neighbours.
The grainy surveillance footage captured masked individuals moving stealthily through the area, confirming their entry into Patwari's residence. Police are now analysing the footage for further clues about the intruders, and the footage is a crucial lead.
As per the report, police sources have pointed to the ‘Bank Tanda’ gang, which has been linked to a series of robberies across Rajendra Nagar. Several of the gang members were arrested in past, but some are reportedly out on bail and have been active since.
Ejaji Nagar Inspector Devendra Markam, who has earlier tracked the gang, acknowledged their possible involvement but said that the investigation is still underway.
Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee took to X account and said that there were more than 5. Calling the law and order situation in Indore “anarchic”, they said that there have been similar alarming incidents. “Congress has been continuously demanding Shri Jitu Patwari ji's security! However, the state BJP government remains carefree/indifferent!” the post said further.