68-year-old’s Anand Lok home robbed of ‘₹3-4 cr’

NEW DELHI: A 68-year-old woman was tied up and robbed of jewellery worth “₹3-4 crore” from her residence in south Delhi’s Anand Lok area in the early hours of Saturday, the police said.

Police suspect that the robbery was conducted by people known to the family as the thieves didn’t steal anything from the other rooms in the two-storey house and instead locked them up to ensure that her family, including husband and son, do not interfere in the robbery in the ground floor room where the jewels were kept in an almirah next to where the victim and her fiveyear-old granddaughter were sleeping.

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Benita Mary Jaiker identified the victim as Ritika

Sharma and said she lives with her family in a two-storey bungalow in Anand Lok.

“The control room received a call of house theft today morning (Saturday). When police reached the spot, complainant Ritika said that she was sleeping with her five-year-old granddaughter in the ground floor bedroom when the incident took place,” she said.

According to the victim, police said, she woke up around 3.30am after hearing some noise, only to find four people searching the almirah in the room. “The men directed her to keep quiet, and she didn’t as she was scared that they might harm her. They broke open the almirah and stole the jewellery amounting to ₹3-4 crore. While they were leaving, they tied her legs with a cloth and left,” Jaiker said.

Police said that the victim’s husband, son and his wife and another child were sleeping in the floor above.

A senior police officer said the accused used cloth strips to lock doors of the room on the first floor before coming to the ground floor to carry out the robbery. The officer said that the accused didn’t steal anything else from the first floor.

Police said that a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including robbery, has been registered at Defence Colony police station.

“CCTV camera footage has been obtained and is being analysed. Four chance prints have been lifted and a team of special staff and AATS (anti-auto theft squad) is working on the case. Crime and forensic team was also called to the spot for a detailed inspection,” said a senior officer.

An officer said that though they suspect the involvement of people known to the family -- “as the accused entered the room where jewellery was present” -investigators are also looking at other angles.

Police said that the family runs a garment business in Ghaziabad.