Businessman held captive at home, robbed of Rs 45 lakh in in west Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh

NEW DELHI: Armed robbers held a 60-year-old businessman captive on Sunday inside his house in west Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh and made away with approximately Rs 45 lakh.
Police officers said that a case of robbery has been registered on the statement of the complainant, Girdhari Lal.
Speaking to TOI, Lal, who runs a transport and finance company with the name Shilpi Leasing Pvt Ltd, said that he was alone in the house in Bhagwan Das Nagar colony at 7.15pm when someone knocked on the door.
“Two men, one with a stubble and the other wearing a cap, knocked on the door. They said they had come to pay the instalment of the Tata truck whose loan I had provided,” Lal said. He let them in and as soon as he shut the door, one of the robbers placed a gun on his neck while the other held his arms.
“They signalled to me to stay silent and hand over all the money in the house. I also saw one more person standing outside the gate. I requested them to not kill me even as they dragged me towards my room,” he said.
As the robbers took Lal to his room, he made an attempt to save himself from being looted. “I fell on the ground and acted unconscious when the two started asking me to open the cupboard. Despite their continuous threats, I did not move,” he said.
However, the robbers managed to break the cupboard when they failed to get its keys. They reportedly used an iron rod and broke open the safe, containing approximately Rs 45 lakh in cash.
The men then quickly left the house after holding Lal captive for at least 20 minutes. Before leaving, they also took Lal’s mobile phone and the DVR of the CCTV cameras installed at the house’s entrance.
Lal then contacted his family members and cops and a case was registered. During investigation, it was found that he had installed a security system at his house, but they had all been dysfunctional for some time.
Lal had also reportedly received a phone call minutes prior to the heist where he was informed that some men would be coming to pay the money for the vehicle.
By late night, cops said that they have identified three suspects in the case who are still absconding. They are former business associates of Lal.