New Delhi: Three armed men held an 86-year-old retired National Security Guard personnel and his family hostage at gunpoint at their residence near Chandni Chowk. The robbers looted valuables worth lakhs of rupees, including gold and diamond jewellery, and also took away a significant amount of foreign currency. To hamper immediate investigation, the accused even removed the CCTV digital video recorder.The elderly man, Bhimsen, operates a business dealing in gold, silver and precious stones from his home, along with his son Sandeep, daughter-in-law Neelam and grandson Harshit. The family resides in one of the narrow lanes of Kinari Bazaar.On Saturday afternoon, a young man knocked on their door, introducing himself as Sunil. As soon as Bhimsen opened the door, two more youths entered the house forcibly. The intruders claimed to be looking for certain documents but did not find any. “When Harshit, the grandson, attempted to stop them, one of the miscreants pulled out a pistol, threatened the family, tied Harshit’s hands and legs with ropes, and gagged him,” sources said.The gang then switched off the five smartphones present inside the house and packed them into bags to prevent any calls for help. They looted gold and diamond jewellery estimated to be worth around Rs 50 lakh and also took away $3,550 in cash. After the robbery, the assailants locked the entire family inside the kitchen before fleeing the scene. The family shouted for help and alerted neighbours who contacted police. An FIR was registered and an investigation launched.Police suspected that the robbers either had inside information or were familiar with the family. Efforts are being made to apprehend the suspects, said an officer.
