3 arrested after elderly couple held hostage and robbed at knife-point in Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad (UP), Jan 10 (PTI) A few days after an elderly couple were allegedly held hostage and robbed at knife-point here, police on Friday arrested three robbers and recovered a portion of the loot.

Gold ornaments worth Rs 80 lakh and Rs 25 lakh in cash was robbed from the couple's house in Kavinagar, police said.

The incident took place on Tuesday when two masked men, armed with knives, barged into the house of Ramdas Gupta (78), a steel trader, and his wife Sumitra Gupta (75), a police officer said.

On Friday the main accused Chandan (20), who worked as a servant at the couple's house was arrested along with Omprakash(20) and Sunil Kumar (28), he said.

Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rajesh Kumar said that Rs 10.5 lakh in cash and jewellery worth Rs 50 lakh was recovered from the accused.

According to police the burglars took the couple to their wardrobe, where they spent approximately 45 minutes rummaging through their valuables.

Ramdas in his complaint alleged that the accused robbed gold ornaments worth Rs 80 lakh and cash amounting to Rs 25 lakh from the couple, the officer added.

The couple was watching television around 9.30 pm when the robbers entered their home. After the heist, they locked the main door from the outside, leaving the victims trapped inside, the officer said citing the complaint.

Ramdas claimed that one of the robbers mentioned the name of his servant, Chandan and even spoke to him on the phone in front of the couple, he added.

Chandan had left the house an hour before the burglars arrived, the officer said, adding that Ramdas told police he was certain that the servant was the mastermind behind the robbery.

After the robbers left, the couple managed to get out of their room and went to check on the guard, Vishnu. They found him in his room, his hands tied with his own scarf, he said.

They freed the guard and immediately informed the police, he added.

On Wednesday, Ramdas lodged a complaint, on the basis of which Chandan and a few others were booked as suspects, he said.

The officer further said that efforts are underway to recover the remaining loot. PTI COR CDN OZ OZ