Indore
In a broad daylight incident on Thursday, some masked men carrying a pistol entered an astrologer's house and robbed Rs 1.5 after holding 6 women and a child captive. The accused threatened them with a pistol and tied their hands with tape. After that, they took the cash and fled from the scene. The accused have been captured in the CCTV footage but they could not be arrested till the filing of the report.
The incident has put a big question mark on the alertness of the police as the incident took place in one of the busiest areas of the city.
Bhanwarkuna police station in-charge Santosh Dudhi said that the incident took place in the house of late Jaiprakash Vaishnav on Bholaram Ustad Marg in Pipliyarao area of the city between 12.30 and 1 pm. Vaishnav was an astrologer and he died due to Covid-19 last year. His wife Bhawna and younger daughter, Bhagyashri were staying in the house.
Bhagyashri in her complaint said that she and her mother were in their rooms on the first floor of their house while two maids were in the kitchen when two persons entered the house looking for pandit ji (her father). Her mother Bhawna then replied that pandit ji had passed away last year. After that, another one of their accomplices entered the house and they threatened the mother, daughter and two maids held them captive in the room.
According to Bhagyashri, a woman named Sita is living on rent on the ground floor of the house and the accused also called Sita to the first floor and told her to stand with other women in the room. Meanwhile, Vaishnav’s elder daughter Neha, who is married, reached there with her child. She and her child were also sent to the room where their hands were tied with a tape.
The robbers then wanted to know where they kept their money. Bhawna gave the keys of the almirah to them and the accused took Rs 1.5 from the almirah and fled the scene. Before fleeing the spot, the accused also threatened the women. Bhagyashri told police that some of the men had taken off their masks and she would be able to recognise them. Police claimed that the number of the accused was 4 while the family members said that six men entered the house.
Robbers asked about Rs 9 crores
Vaishnav’s family friend Pawan Sharma told media persons that the accused were asking the women where they had kept the Rs 9 crore in the house. The women told the robbers that they had wrong information and they did not have Rs 9 crore in cash in the house and handed over the almirah keys to the miscreants. They opened the almirah and took Rs 1.5 lakh kept there and fled. They stayed in the house for around 20 minutes and the CCTV cameras installed in the house have captured their entry and exit.
After the robbers left, Neha untied the others and police were informed.
No clues about accused
TI Dudhi said that the footages from the CCTVs at the spot were examined and the route the accused took is being prepared to identify them. CCTVs installed in other places in the area are also being examined. Police said that the sketches of the accused would also be made if needed.
