Family robbed of Rs 5L at gunpoint

LUCKNOW: A group of four armed men barged inside house of a garment trader and robbed cash and valuables worth over Rs 5 lakh in the city on Friday noon. Role of the family’s domestic help suspected.
The robbery took place in the congested alleys off Hewitt road when 42-year-old homemaker Shabana (42) was at home with daughters Afreen (6) and Farheen (13) around 3pm. Shabana’s husband Irfan has a garments store in Nixon market and was not at home.A tutor Munni was in the house and the couple’s son Sajid had gone to the market.
“An assailant first entered through the window after scaling a wall and unbolted the door. The other three holed up the family members inside a room,” said Irfan.
Two of them were carrying firearms and two knives. Sealing Shabana’s mouth with a tape, the assailants snatched keys of the cupboard and took away Rs 1.50 lakh cash and jewelry. After the group left, Afreen untied the hands of Munni.
Irfan alerted Qaiserbagh police. Officer-in-charge of Qaiserbagh police station Raj Bahadur Sahu said at least one of the assailants was known to the family. “They called out names of the family members and issued life threats if the matter was reported,” said Sahu.
Police were gathering details of the domestic help and others who worked for the couple and were looking for a maid who left in a hurry. “Two boys came to the house under the pretext of checking electricity meter and we are checking with the power department if readings were taken,” added Sahu.