A daring daylight robbery occurred in Kanpur’s Shyam Nagar area on Monday, where three masked armed men allegedly held a retired police inspector’s family members hostage and fled with valuables worth over Rs 10 lakh. According to the police, the incident took place around noon when Rachna Tripathi, 45, and her 17-year-old son Devansh were alone at home.
The armed robbers overpowered the two, gagged them, tied their hands, and confined them inside the kitchen before ransacking the house for nearly 45 minutes. Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Satyajeet Gupta stated that the assailants forced the woman to hand over the jewellery she was wearing and escaped with gold and silver ornaments, about Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, and other valuables.
The victims were rescued after the family’s domestic help arrived, opened the kitchen door, and alerted the police. The DCP further mentioned that the accused had arrived on a white motorcycle. CCTV footage from the neighbourhood is being examined to trace their movements, while police are also trying to establish how they gained entry into the house.
A forensic team, along with senior police officers, inspected the spot and collected fingerprints and other physical and digital evidence. The teenager suffered a minor injury to his hand, but no serious assault was reported during the preliminary inquiry.
While the family claimed the robbers made away with jewellery worth around Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, police said the total value of the stolen property was still being verified and was estimated at around Rs 8 lakh. Police have launched an investigation, and multiple teams have been deployed to identify and arrest the accused.
