Three including maid held for looting elderly woman

Vadodara: Within hour after they attacked an elderly woman and looted of gold jewellery and cash worth Rs 2.61 lakh in the city on Monday, the police arrested three persons including a woman. The police said that the trio had planned the loot and done recce of the house in Sonali Society in Karelibaug over the last few days.
According to the police, when 72-year-old Ranjan Gor was performing puja at her house at about 6 am on Monday, four persons barged in. They assaulted Ranjan and even injured her with a knife. “One of the accused, Ritesh Godadiya was wielding a knife and he kept forcing Ranjan to give the key to the locker. When she refused, he injured her with the knife,” said R I Jadeja, Karelibaug police inspector.
Another accused, Akash Rawal, 19, then removed gold ornaments that Ranjan was wearing and also stole some cash, while Dimple Soni instructed him. The fourth accused, Arjun Kharwa kept an eye outside the house. “When all the four fled from the house, Ranjan raised an alarm and the neighbours too rushed in. A security guard posted at a mall near the house spotted the gang,” Jadeja told TOI.
Godadiya even flashed a fake revolver to scare the crowd. But the guard managed to nab Rawal while the other three fled from the spot. The cops then questioned Rawal, who gave away the names and location of the other accused. “The entire plan was hatched by Dimple who has been working as a house help at Ranjan’s house over the last two months. She knew when Ranjan was alone and how to enter the bungalow from the first floor,” Jadeja added.
Dimple took help of Rawal, Godadiya and Kharwa to commit the loot. She even wore shirt and jeans and covered her face to appear as a male while committing the crime. The police said that Godadiya, who has an offence registered against him in the city, is on the run. “We have recovered some of the looted valuables from the trio that said that the ornaments are with Godadiya,” Jadeja said.