2 shot at; 2 girls taken 200m for ‘safe escape’

LUCKNOW: A gang of dacoits attacked two houses in Chinhat area here on intervening night of Thursday and Friday and, besides carrying away about Rs 3 lakh in cash and jewellery, shot at and injured two women and took along two minor girls for about 200 meters “as security for escape.”

The assailants first targeted the house of Dinanath Chauhan, a mason, at Laxmanpurwa locality in Chinhat at around midnight when he and his other family members were asleep.

Chauhan said the dacoits, who entered the house from the rooftop, went to the room where his wife Amlavati Devi and son Umesh’s wife Soni were sleeping. On facing resistance from the two women, the dacoits fired at them. He said the two suffered gunshot injuries and were undergoing treatment in Ram Manohar Lohia hospital.

The assailants then broke into Chauhan’s room and another room where his two daughters -Reena and Radha – were sleeping. “They held them hostage on gunpoint and after rummaging the entire house they took away ₹35,000 cash and jewellery worth ₹2.5 lakh,” he said.

Chauhan said the miscreants dragged along his two daughters for about 200 metres from the house, “probably for unhindered escape.”

Umesh, who works as security guard at the house of a retired banker, was not present at the time of incident. The dacoits then forced their entry into the house of an old couple Keshan and Devi, posing as policemen. The old couple’s house is about 750 metres from Chauhan’s house and they stay along with their granddaughter Khushbu.

They hit Keshan on the head with an iron rod, leaving him profusely bleeding. They, however, failed to take away any valuables from here as neighbours woke up hearing the family members’ screams. The gang fired multiple rounds when locals tried to nab them, and managed to escape.

INSPECTOR OF CHINHAT POLICE STATION SAID THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE GANG IS SUSPECTED IN BOTH CASES

Inspector of Chinhat police station RN Rai said the involvement of the same gang is suspected in both the incidents. However, Chauhan has alleged the role of his neighbour Prem Sagar alias Bihari and his two accomplices Chandra Deep and Adarsh Pal in the incident at his house.

The three accused persons were taken into custody but their involvement was not found after a probe. Senior police officials, including additional DG, Lucknow Zone, Abhay Prasad and SSP, Lucknow, Deepak Kumar also visited the crime spot.