The victim, Deeba Purushottaman Nair, an officer with ABN-Amro Bank, has lodged a complaint with the Wanavdi police station. The burglars forcibly entered Nair’s house around 10.15 pm. When she tried to resist the burglars, they plugged a cloth piece in her mouth, scratched her left hand and waist with a sharp weapon and later decamped with valuables worth Rs 35,000.

Narrating the nightmare, Deeba said the burglars had come when she was alone in her house. While her mother had gone to their native place in Kerala, her father, who runs a cafeteria for Armed Forces Medical College cadets, was present when she came home from office at 8.20 pm, but left for work at 9 pm.

Deeba, who stays in flat number 105 on the first floor, had walked down at around 10.15 pm to collect a cloth that had fallen off her gallery. “When I came up with the cloth, I saw two persons standing at the door of the neighbouring flat. I thought they were visitors, but as soon as I opened the door of my flat, the duo pushed me inside,” she said.

“Before I could do anything, they came into the house. Pointing a small sharp knife, they caught me by the neck and asked me to get the jewellery and money. I refused and tried to scream, but they put their hands on my mouth and also increased the volume of television so that the neighbours could not hear the noise,” she added.

Deeba further said, “The burglars tried to snatch the gold chain and bangles on my body. They gagged my mouth with a cloth piece. They also scratched my body with a sharp weapon. I resisted them with all my strength. Meanwhile, they got the cupboard keys. They stole some cash and ornaments and escaped.”

She then raised an alarm. A neighbour rushed for help and informed her family and police. Soon, her father came home. A police team including assistant commissioner Ramesh Biwal, Inspector Shivajirao Kanase, assistant inspector Shrikant Pingale, sub inspector S R Jagtap and others also reached the spot for investigation.

It was known that burglars were speaking in Marathi. They were wearing gloves and had covered their faces with a cloth. Deeba’s father Puroshottam said that the incident was extremely shocking.