Posing as sewer cleaners, 5 armed men rob Amritsar trader’s family after holding them hostage

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 6

Around five armed persons robbed a trader’s family in Guru Arjan Dev Nagar area after holding them hostage on Friday. The miscreants gained entry into the house by posing as sewer cleaners.

The victim, Devinder Singh Bedi, who is a textile trader, was at his house along with his wife and two grandchildren. The accused reportedly looted jewellery and cash worth Rs 8 lakh from the family. One of their grandchildren, Janu, was injured as he intervened when the accused attacked Bedi.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Dev Dutt Sharma along with other police personnel reached the spot. He said a case had been registered.

Bedi said, “Around 4 pm, the accused knocked at the entrance gate. They opened a manhole outside my house. When I went out, the miscreants demanded a polythene bag to dump the silt removed from the manhole. When I went inside, they followed me.”

Bedi urged them not to harm his family members and take whatever they wanted. He said they searched almirahs and decamped with cash and jewellery from the house. The accused also took away digital video recorder of CCTV cameras.

Eyewitnesses said the accused might have conducted a recce of the area. They were in the area from 2 pm and opened every manhole in the street. They then closed the street from both sides and one of them sat outside the house while others robbed the family, said residents.

Locals alleged unscrupulous elements roamed freely in the area. Recently, a medical shop located on the GT road was burgled, said residents. Sharma said they were examining CCTV footage of cameras installed in the locality to identify the miscreants.