The dacoity took place between 2.30 and 3 am. Satpal, who works in a cloth shop in Chandni Chowk, his wife, their son who runs an automobile accessories business and the son's family were asleep when the dacoits broke into the house. DCP (East) Balaji Shrivastav said: ``The whole operation had been well planned.''

According to him, one of the dacoits first climbed onto the roof of the two-storey house from the a neighbouring house. He opened the door leading from the roof to the second floor and then let in his remaining associates through the front door. ``The dacoits then threatened Satpal and his wife Shimala Malhotra who were asleep on the ground floor. They bolted his son and his family in their room on the first floor,'' said Shrivastav.

The dacoits were reportedly armed with iron rods and knives. Police say that Satpal was hit on the leg with a wooden stick which was lying in the house. Police say that the youths, all believed to be between 16 and 19 years old, seemed to be residents of the area. ``We had shown the family photographs of local criminals and they had picked out three or four of them,'' said Balaji Shrivastav.