Lucknow: Gang loots DFO’s house after holding family hostage for 2 hours

Assistant Superintendent of Police, North, Vijay Dhull said around 2.15 am on Sunday morning, around eight unidentified miscreants, armed with weapons, scaled the boundary wall of Shukla’s house and entered the servant quarters. They tied the domestic help, Hariram, with clothes and threatened him to give information about the DFO’s family members. Following this, they broke open the main door and entered the house. Holding all members of the family at gunpoint, the assailants tied their hands and feet and looted all cash and jewellery from the almirah.

The ASP said the gang then took Shukla around the house in search of valuables. Thereafter, they locked the family inside the house, damaged their cellphones and escaped, Dhul said, adding that the assailants remained in the house for around two hours before fleeing.

Following this, the DFO freed himself and his family members. He then went to a neighbour’s house and called the Police Control Room.

On hearing about the incident, senior police officers, along with dog squads, rushed to the spot. No one has been arrested so far, the ASP said. The family is yet to give details about the stolen valuables, he added.

Later in the evening, Lucknow SSP Manzil Saini transferred three sub-inspectors — Dheeraj Singh, Mukesh Prakash and Anurag Mishra — who were posted as Public Relation Officer, to Police Lines on charges of negligence of duty. Constable Anuj Singh, who was on telephone duty at the SSP residence, has been suspended.