Patna: A gang of 10 to 12 masked men allegedly held a contractor and his family at gunpoint and looted cash, jewellery and other valuables worth around Rs 65 lakh from their house in Supaul district in the early hours of Monday. The incident took place in Ward No. 9 under Karjain police station area.According to the family, the armed men scaled the boundary wall and entered the house before holding the occupants hostage. Contractor Satendra Narayan Singh, his wife Munni Devi and his elderly mother were present in the house at the time. Singh’s grandson was also in the house.Singh said around five men entered his room at about 1.20am while five others remained outside. The robbers searched almirahs in three rooms, including his, and took away cash, jewellery, clothes and other valuables. When the family initially did not hand over the keys to an almirah, one of the armed men allegedly brandished a gun and said, “This is not a toy.”Munni Devi said the family complied with the robbers’ demands out of fear. “If we did not obey them, they could have done anything. So we kept quiet and gave them the keys,” she said.Singh’s daughter Nidhi Singh, a teacher in Raghopur, said jewellery belonging to her mother, herself and her sister-in-law was among the valuables taken away. She said her brother had recently married and wedding jewellery and silver utensils were also looted.According to Singh, the robbers remained in the house for about an hour before leaving through the main gate. They allegedly locked the door from outside, preventing the family from immediately alerting neighbours.Karjain police launched an investigation after receiving information about the incident. SHO Manish Kumar said the case was being investigated.Veerpur SDPO Pawan Kumar said the spot had been inspected and an FSL team collected fingerprints and other scientific evidence. “Investigation and raids have been started to identify and arrest the accused involved in the incident. The case will be cracked soon,” he said.Police have sealed parts of the house as part of the investigation and are trying to identify the robbers. Singh is a contractor engaged in rural development works, including construction of roads, bridges and culverts.
