Masked dacoits loot ex-Army man's family at knife point

The incident took place around 2.30 am, they said.The dacoits, who were carrying sharp weapons, entered the house after breaking open the latch and threatened the family at knife point, an official said.

Five armed dacoits allegedly robbed a former Army man's family of gold ornaments, cash and a revolver collectively worth over Rs 1 lakh at Kamptee near here in the wee hours of Wednesday, police said. The incident took place around 2.30 am, they said.

''The dacoits, who were carrying sharp weapons, entered the house after breaking open the latch and threatened the family at knife point,'' an official said. Complainant Sunil Francis David (49) had retired from the Army and currently works as a security guard. He lives with his wife and two minor sons in Purushottam Nagar society, he said.

''At around 2.30 am, five masked dacoits barged into the house. The family members got up due to the noise. The robbers held the two children hostage at knife point. As they also threatened to kill Sunil, his wife gave her gold rings to them. ''Besides the ornaments, the dcoits took Rs 10,000 cash and Sunil's revolver from the cupboard, before fleeing from the spot,'' he said.

Another police official said that five teams of the crime branch and a team of 24 policemen from Zone V have launched a search to nab the accused. The investigators have checked the CCTV footage of the society, which revealed that the accused had also tried to enter another house there.

The dacoits broke into the house of another retired army personnel in the same society and took away a television set as nobody was home, police said. An offence has been registered at New Kamptee police station.