A group of masked miscreants allegedly stormed the house of a grocery trader in Barabanki in the early hours of Friday, holding the family hostage at gunpoint. The assailants assaulted women and children and fled with cash and jewellery worth nearly Rs 95 lakh.
Incident Details
The incident took place around 3 am in Gwari village. According to police and the victims, the accused entered the premises of grocery trader Himanshu, also known as Alok Jaiswal, through the rear side of the building after breaking open the lock of the godown gate. The trader’s grocery shop and warehouse are located on the ground floor, while the family resides on the upper floor.
Himanshu told police that six to seven armed robbers entered the house while the family was asleep. One group barged into his room and attacked his wife with the butt of a country-made pistol. The accused tied up the couple, covered their faces, and looted around Rs 12 lakh in cash that had been kept for construction work, along with gold and silver ornaments.
Another group of robbers entered an adjoining room where Himanshu’s sisters, Deepika and Sonali, mother Nandani, Deepika’s minor sons, and an eight-year-old relative were sleeping. Family members alleged that the robbers assaulted them, threatened them with firearms, and forcibly took all their jewellery.
Robbery Duration and Items Stolen
The robbers also snatched mobile phones from the family members and spent nearly 40 minutes searching cupboards, lockers, boxes, and almirahs before fleeing with jewellery and cash — ornaments worth Rs 80 lakh and Rs 15 lakh in cash. Police said the robbers repeatedly threatened to kill the family if they resisted or raised an alarm.
Escape and Alert
After the gang fled, the eight-year-old girl managed to free the family members. She later used a mobile phone that had been hidden from the robbers to alert UP-112 around 4 am. Barabanki Superintendent of Police Arpit Vijayvargiya and senior police officials reached the spot after receiving information and inspected the crime scene. Forensic teams collected evidence.
Police Investigation
While the victims claimed that six to seven armed robbers were involved, police probe indicated the involvement of three to four persons. Additional Superintendent of Police (North) Vikas Chandra Tripathi said the accused appeared to have prior information about the cash kept inside the house. Police registered a case under robbery-related charges and constituted five teams to crack the case. Investigators are examining CCTV footage and local intelligence inputs to identify the accused and trace the looted property.
