PANCHKULA, Aug 3: Robbers struck at the Sector 21 house of veteran journalist Tribhuvan Nath late last night and decamped with cash and valuables after ransacking the house. The robbers, who entered the house around midnight, left after more than five hours but not before mercilessly beating up the female members.Tribhuvan Nath, who lives with his two daughters, however, got to know of the robbery only after the culprits had fled in the morning.
His daughter, Dipti Nath (31), working as project officer in a bank, said she woke up on hearing a noise and saw four men standing in her room. "I was immediately overpowered and one of them told me that if I screamed, a professional killer positioned outside my father's room would kill him," she said.
Her hands and feet were then tied, a dupatta stuffed in her mouth and she was forced to lie down on the bed with her face buried in the pillow. A patient of asthma, she fell unconscious soon after.
Her 32-year-old sister, Preeti Nath, a lecturer in Government College, Panchkula, who was asleep in the same room, was also brutally beaten up by the robbers. Said Preeti: "The robbers started beating me up as I tried to raise a hue and cry. While three of them kept vigil on the roof, others ransacked the house."
"The culprits had been wrongly informed that a wedding was going to take place in the house. They broke into the house expecting a lot of hard cash and jewellery and other valuables," Dipti added. However, when nothing of the kind was found, Preeti was beaten up.
Showing deep cuts and scratches on her neck and arms, Preeti said the men vent their anger and frustration by beating her up. "The culprits even helped themselves to tea and eggs."
The girls were asked to sign a cheque for Rs 10,000 and the robbers took away a gold watch of antique value, cash to the tune of Rs 10,000 and small items like a gold chain and rings. They also demanded that one of the girls should reach K.C. Theatre and hand over another Rs 10,000 between 11 a.m. and noon today.
Interestingly, the family dog, an Apso, had reportedly died on Saturday under mysterious circumstances. "The vet could not trace what was wrong with her and said it was slow poisoning. The robbers were aware of Sophie's (the Apso's) death besides the daily routine of each member of the house," Dipti told Newsline. Another thing that remains unclear is the point of entry of the robbers. "All the doors were locked and checked at night and none of them was broken," said Preeti. The Naths were also threatened of dire consequences if the matter was reported to the police.
A case has been registered under Sections 458, 342, 506 of the IPC. No arrests have been made so far.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
