When Kumar opened the door, the three assailants reportedly barged in. They were armed with an iron pipe and knives. According to DCP (south) Amulya Patnaik: ``They tried to scare the Butanis with the iron pipe claiming that the pipe was like a pistol and could also be used to open fire. Then they tied all the four present in the house and escaped with the loot.''

The police are questioning the servants. Ajay Kumar hails from Gaya. Both he and his friend Ramesh Kumar had been verified.

DCP Patnaik said: ``This robbery could have been averted if the servant had not opened the door unsuspectingly. If a person visits your place at 10 p.m., he better have a good reason to do so.''

``Most of these robberies can be avoided if people become a little more careful. They should not let anyone in without finding out his identity and the exact purpose of his visit. All the recent robberies have happened because servants have unsuspectingly let the assailants in,'' he added.

Setting aside criticism about the spate of robberies in his district, DCP Patnaik said: ``Statistics show that there has been a decline in the number of cases of robbery in south district as compared to the corresponding period last year. While there were 50 robberies by June last year, this year there have been 44 only. The number of cases of snatching have also gone down to 33 from 45 in the corresponding period last year.''

The south district claim to have solved a robbery that took place in a Khirki Extension house three days ago with the arrest of five persons,working as masons and rickshaw-pullers in the Capital. On June 21, they knocked at Dr Laxmi Narain's residence requesting for a glass of water. The family was away vacationing in Kerala. The maid Sindhu Kumari was in the house at the time of the incident with her cousin Ambli. Sindhu opened the door and once inside, the assailants tied up the two women and taped their mouths. They stole a pair of gold earrings, a chain, two cameras and a briefcase containing important documents. Working on a clue that the assailants were conversing in Bhojpuri, the police interrogated construction workers in the area.

Yesterday, the police picked up Anwar and Amir Khan Mohd Alam, Atim Nataf and Rafiq. Alam masterminded the robbery since he had once done some repair work in the house and knew the place well. The police have not yet arrested the sixth accused.