Harish Kapoor (72) and Aruna (65) live on the ground floor of house number D-882 with their daughter Samita (36). Their elder daughter, Anu Chakrabarty, lives on the first floor in the same house with her husband, Sanjay, and their children. Harish is also secretary of the D-block Residents Welfare Association.

Police officers said they found Harish lying unconscious near the dining table, while Aruna was on the floor in the TV room, when they reached the spot. “Sanjay came down in the morning around 9 am and rang the door bell. There was no response for a long time. After persistent knocking, Samita, who was in a semi-conscious state, opened the door,” said Harish’s elder brother, Vijay, who lives in Vasant Kunj.

“All three were rushed to AIIMS, where they were given a stomach wash,” a senior police official said. Doctors at AIIMS said the stomach wash revealed they were given some sleeping pills. A senior police officer said, “It doesn’t look like the accused wanted to kill them. He wanted to render them unconscious. Some cash and jewellery has been stolen.”

The family had hired Shankar, a Nepali, just a week ago.

The police said bulky items like the TV, CD player, etc were left untouched. The exact estimate can be made only after the Kapoors recover and come back home, officers said.

“The family didn’t get the help verified with the Delhi Police. It looks like the pills were mixed with dinner. A case has been registered,” Anil Shukla, DCP, South said.

Harish’s sister, Madhu Suri, who lives in Faridabad, says she came to the house in the morning after hearing of the incident. “I am really sad we committed such a basic mistake of not getting the help verified. Harish, being the secretary of the RWA, keeps urging residents to verify their domestic help and we didn’t do exactly that,” she said.