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Burglar ransacks house, walks away; leaves boy in shock
Ashbel Kurien, the 16-year-old son of a Ministry of Defence (MoD) official was in for a rude shock when he reached his apartment in south Delhi’s Laxmibai Nagar on Tuesday afternoon.
Ashbel Kurien, the 16-year-old son of a Ministry of Defence (MoD) official was in for a rude shock when he reached his apartment in south Delhi’s Laxmibai Nagar on Tuesday afternoon.
“When I entered the compound of my apartment block around 2 p.m., I saw a neatly-dressed man casually walking down the stairs that lead to my first-floor house. He had a bulging bag in his hand in addition to massive tools,” said the Class X student.
A curious Kurien asked the stranger — who was carrying a two-foot-long iron rod and a larger than average size screwdriver, what he was up to.
“He said he was done with whatever he was up to and kept walking away. I sensed something was amiss, so I followed him for a short distance. Suddenly, I realised what must have happened, and I turned back at an impulse and ran home,” he said.
Moments later, a breathless Ashbel found that the main door of his house was ajar.
“He panicked when he saw our things scattered all over the floor and called me at office. The man my son had bumped into had ransacked the entire house,” said K.M Kurien (52), a Grade I officer at the MoD.
Kurien said the man had succeeded in fleeing with cash and valuables worth upwards of Rs.2 lakh.
“Thankfully the assailant didn’t set my furniture on fire — something that usually happens whenever a house is burgled in this part of south Delhi,” said Kurien referring to the dreaded ‘Firebrand Gang’ that is infamous for breaking into government officials’ homes, ransacking them and setting the furniture ablaze before making an exit.
Police said the victims’ statements had been recorded and forensic experts had collected circumstantial evidence from the crime scene. “This does not seem like the handiwork of the firebrand gang as only one person is involved and the modus operandi has been different. A case has been registered and investigation is underway,” said a senior police officer said.
