Ludhiana family loses 2-kg gold, ₹10L to robbers posing as cops
LUDHIANA: Five men posing as sleuths of Gujarat Police looted 200-tola gold (2-kg worth about ₹60 lakh), ₹10 lakh cash and two licensed weapons from a house in Model Town area here on Wednesday afternoon. The house belongs to businessman Raj Kumar Agnihotri, a disciple of controversial godman Asaram.
The robbers took along the safe in which jewellery, cash and weapons were kept after they failed to break it open. Raj Kumar’s wife Usha and two daughters-in-law were present in the house when the crime took place.
Raj Kumar and his two sons were at their electronics showroom in Basti Jodhewal area.
The robbers were in white shirts and khaki trousers and had come in a Maruti Swift car. They introduced themselves as cops from Gujarat to the family’s private security guard Budhram and barged into the house.
The robbers told Raj Kumar’s wife that they had come in connection with the Asaram case probe and started ransacking home. When women screamed for help, Budhram ran inside, but he was overpowered by the accused. As per the family, the accused took them at gunpoint and locked in a room.
After the miscreants left the house, Usha called up her husband, who rushed home and informed the police.
A police team led by commissioner of police Jatinder Singh Aulakh visited the house. A case has been registered at the Model Town police station.
Aulakh said there were no CCTV camera in the house, but they were scanning footage of others in the area to get a clue about the miscreants.
“As per the family, two of the robbers were turbaned and three clean-shaven,” he said.
Asaram used to stay at Raj Kumar’s house during his visits to Ludhiana. Police personnel from Gujarat and Delhi had raided his house when they were on the lookout for Asaram and his son in 2013. Asaram’s son Narayan Sai was allegedly hiding in the house, but managed to sneak away before the raid.