‘I FOUGHT OFF THREE ROBBERS, THEY WOULD ME’ HAVE KILLED
Alankrita Sahai is still traumatised by the attack, but the fact that she was brave makes her feel a little better
For actor Alankrita Sahai, who was robbed and assaulted at knifepoint by three men on September 7 at her rented residence in Chandigarh, the last few days have been a paranoia-fuelled nightmare. Talking about the ordeal which lasted for almost two hours, she shares, “They forcibly entered my house and stole items worth ₹6.5 lakh as well as cash. They held a knife to my neck, tried to strangle me, had their hand on my mouth and pinned me against the bed. They hit me on my back, neck and forehead. They verbally abused me and threatened to kill me.”
Recalling how she managed to escape, Sahai says that there was a moment when they were out of the bedroom and that’s when she locked that door and then shut herself inside the bathroom. “Then I called my caretaker, who eventually called the cops. But in the meantime, the robbers started breaking down doors and windows. I held on to the door as they tried to break it down. I fought against them and saved myself. They would have killed me,” she says, fighting back her tears.
The former beauty queen, who is in Chandigarh for an interior designing project, reveals that one of the robbers had done complete research on her. “He knew when my maid leaves and when I am alone at home. He was the same guy who came over to my place to deliver furniture a few days ago. He is the one who planned all this,” the Namaste England (2018) actor adds.
Sahai tells us that the only thing which makes her feel better about the situation is the fact that she was brave. “A senior cop commended me for my presence of mind. I don’t want to be just a victim anymore. I want to rise above this,” she says.
But she has had sleepless nights since then. “I am so paranoid. When I close my eyes, I see them attacking, pinning me down and hitting me. If there is any small noise in my house, I get scared. I haven’t gone upstairs in my home. I don’t have the courage to go there,” she says.
While her family has come from Noida to be with her, Sahai says she didn’t immediately tell her parents when it happened. She shares, “My parents are traumatised. I didn’t inform them the same day because I was too traumatised myself to speak to anyone. I was with the cops the whole day. Then I had to undergo a medical examination... By the time I could call my parents, they had found out.”
All Sahai wants now is the culprits to be caught soon. “There’s a cop car outside... The police said they will make a booth here as well. Until they are caught, I won’t be at peace,” she concludes.
When I close my eyes, I see the men attacking, pinning me down. I get scared if there’s any small noise. ALANKRITA SAHAI, Actor