NEW DELHI: A retired scientist and his wife became the latest victims of daylight robbery in Rohini’s Prashant Vihar in northwest Delhi on Friday.
Five men posing as courier agents forcibly entered their home, held the couple at gunpoint and fled with approximately Rs 4 crore in cash and gold jewellery.
Police sources said a CCTV system installed in the house was not functioning at the time when the incident took place.
At around 12.45pm on Friday, the 81-year-old man heard some noise at the iron gate of their house. When he went to check, he found some men who said they were there to deliver a package. After he opened the gate, the men pushed him aside and forcibly entered his house.
One of the assailants put his mouth over the old man’s mouth while another allegedly showed him a pistol and threatened to kill him and his wife if he screamed for help. The third assailant restrained the man’s wife as well. The perpetrators tied the octogenarian’s and his wife’s hands, feet and mouth with cloth pieces.
The intruders asked the elderly man about his son’s cash, indicating potential insider involvement. They threatened and slapped him and warned him against any movement or noise. One assailant stood guard with a knife, threatening to harm the couple if they resisted.
The robbers then ransacked the house, stealing around Rs 4 crore in cash and gold ornaments they found in the house. They also stole cash belonging to his son, who was living in the house temporarily. Before fleeing the house, the men hid the couple’s phones in the house and locked them inside though they took care to free the wife’s hands so that she was able to untie the knots on her injured husband. They then called their son, who approached police.
Police have registered a case for robbery and dacoity under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. DCP (Rohini) Amit Goel said that six police teams had been formed to go after the robbers. The house where the robbery took place had a CCTV camera installed but it was apparently not working. Sources also revealed that on the day of the incident, the iron gate of the house was left unlocked when the house help left after work in the afternoon.
Police teams are analysing CCTV footage from nearby cameras to identify the culprits. The calculated nature hints at potential insider involvement, prompting scrutiny of recent visitors and acquaintances. The couple allegedly saved the money to buy property, prompting cops to probe if this was an insider job.
Cops say they are reviewing the security arrangements, taking down witness statements and pursuing potential connections. The brazen nature of the crime has sparked concern in the neighbourhood. Residents demanded enhanced police patrolling and police have assured heightened vigilance. The cops are also collaborating with local residents’ welfare associations to strengthen neighbourhood security.
According to National Crime Records Bureau data, Delhi stood out as the most unsafe metropolitan city for senior citizens in 2022. The city accounted for over 27% of all crimes committed against individuals aged 60 years and above across these urban areas. In Aug, a 61-year-old retired IRS officer and his wife were attacked by a thief in a burglary attempt at their residence in southwest Delhi’s Vasant Kunj.
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