Residents prevent armed robbery in Delhi

NEW DELHI, JAN 19: Nearly six unidentified men, armed with daggers and country-made pistols, walked into the C Block Greater Kailash-I re...

NEW DELHI, JAN 19: Nearly six unidentified men, armed with daggers and country-made pistols, walked into the C Block Greater Kailash-I residence of Raj Jaswant Singh at around 7.30 pm. They walked through the first door, knocked at the second and would have walked away with the booty had the Singh children not fought back. The incident took place five minutes after the beat constable, on his rounds, had passed the house.

In what is being termed by the residents as a 8220;daring attempt8221;, the robbers entered Singh8217;s C-150 residence and injured his son Amarpreet when he grappled with the men. Amarpreet is in the emergency ward of Apollo Hospital with chest and stomach injuries. One of the men who attacked him has been arrested.

Recalling the evening8217;s events, Amarpreet8217;s sister Manjeet Kaur says, 8220;I had walked into the house five minutes before the knock on the door. When I asked who it was, the man replied Raju8217; and even though it struck me as odd that the man was knocking on the inside door, I opened itanyway.8221;

Kaur adds, 8220;A man put a knife on my throat and told me to shut up. I screamed for my brother and the two of us pushed the men back. My brother got into a scuffle with him and broke the glass panes of the window to attract attention.8221;

Their mother was at home during the attack. Singh, a businessman, was away at his factory in Okhla. 8220;My father and brother usually come home together at around 9 pm,8221; Kaur explains. 8220;But since my brother had to wash his hair today, he came home around five in the evening.8221;

While the men tried to get hold of Amarpreet, Kaur escaped out of the house via the back door and raised an alarm. Minutes later, there were neighbours on the street and the robbers panicked. Firing shots in the air, they fled C Block.

One of the men, however, was apprehended. Driver Pratap Singh Rawat was standing outside his employee8217;s C 149 bungalow. 8220;I was having tea with the guard when I heard the noise of breaking glass,8221; Rawat recalls. 8220;Despite my friend warning me againstgetting involved, I went over to check what was happening. I saw the men trying to get away.8221;

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What followed was a long chase. Rawat pursued one of the men around the block. Just as he was beggining to tire, he spotted two people starting their motorcycles. He called their attention to the intruder and the motorcycle followed the man. He was apprehended just as the police van pulled up.

In a colony where residents confidently tell you that the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme is being implemented, the fact that the chowkidars are on duty only between 10 pm and 6 am does not seem to bother them. During the day there is only one guard for the entire colony.

Chowkidar on duty tonight, Anant Lal, blew his whistle loudly two houses away from the Singh residence. He knows very little about the incident. 8220;I am on duty only since 10 pm,8221; he informs. 8220;That is the time I am supposed to come. Also, I haven8217;t seen any stranger in the area. The gates are closed at 10 pm and opened at six the nextmorning.8221;

The neighbours admit that they have given the safety of their colony a second thought only recently. Resident Jaya Madan says: 8220;We thought it was safe, till my car got stolen a month back. In fact, it was around this time, after which we have realised that our colony is not immune to crime. We will probably get our own chowkidar now.8221;