‘Tantrik’, two sons held for robbery

Ghaziabad: Four persons including a tantrik and his two sons were arrested for allegedly robbing an iron trader’s house two months back. The accused stole jewellery worth Rs 50 lakh, cash, a revolver and an SUV after taking the victims hostage.
The accused have been identified as Dharampal, a tantrik, his sons – Surendra and Mahavir, and one Ashok Kumar. Police said they conducted a raid on Thursday night at the tantrik’s house-cum-temple at Surana village in Muradnagar and recovered a large amount of stolen goods from the temple’s crypt.

All the accused have murder charges against them and have been to jail in the past. Ashok was working as a driver for the victim Narendra Agrawal (57) and he had informed Dharampal about the huge amount of cash and jewellery at the home. Three other accused, Sanjay Jaat, Naveen and Chanchal, are on the run.

The robbery occurred on the evening of December 19, 2017 at Agrawal’s second-floor apartment in Nehru Nagar 3. Agrawal and his wife Malti (57) were alone at home when the robbers struck.

On the day of the robbery, Agrawal drove home from his office on Bulandshahr Road in his SUV around 8.30pm as Ashok had left early. The accused were lying in wait and ambushed him before he could enter his home. The accused took the couple hostage at gunpoint and tied up them up with drawstrings of trousers and strips of clothes. The couple was then left in a room while the robbers ransacked the house for nearly three hours.

They fled with the SUV but later abandoned it on Baleni road, Muradnagar.

SSP H N Singh said, “Ashok is a disciple of Dharampal. He had been working at Agrawal’s house for many years, and even after the robbery continued to work there so that he did not come under suspicion.”

According to the police, there was a reward of Rs 50,000 for Surendra in the past as he was on the run after a murder case. Several cases under the Goondas Act have also been registered against him at Muradnagar police station. He got married a few weeks ago and his wife has filed nominations papers for the block development council’s elections. In 2014, Surendra and his aides had received Rs 75 lakh ransom after abducting a person, they added.

Dharampal and Mahavir also have cases of murder and heinous crimes against them.