Two masked men allegedly held BJP Pichhda Morcha state secretary Ramesh Yadav hostage at his farmhouse in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur and escaped with cash, jewellery and a luxury watch worth around Rs 12 lakh on Monday night.
Two masked men allegedly held BJP Pichhda Morcha state secretary Ramesh Yadav hostage at his farmhouse in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur and escaped with cash, jewellery and a luxury watch worth around Rs 12 lakh on Monday night. The robbers reportedly tied Yadav's hands and legs, locked him inside a bathroom and spent nearly 37 minutes at the farmhouse before fleeing. The property falls under the Sen Paschimpara police station area, around 20 kilometres from Kanpur city.
Yadav, who took charge as the Pichhda Morcha state secretary on October 1, had returned from Lucknow around 12.30 am after assuming office. He was staying alone at the four-bigha farmhouse, located about 500 metres from his residence, where four security guards had been deployed.
Robbers threatened BJP leader with country-made pistol
According to Yadav, his servant, Abhay Rajput, served him dinner and left the farmhouse around 10.45 pm. Around 15 minutes later, two men allegedly entered the premises. One pressed a country-made pistol against Yadav's chest, while the other carried a bottle of petrol.
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The intruders initially demanded Rs 2 crore before allegedly taking Rs 12 lakh in cash from a locker. They also snatched his gold chain, ring and Rado watch, Yadav said.
After looting the valuables, the accused allegedly bound him tightly with tape and locked him inside the bathroom, leaving behind a towel and a bottle of water.
Yadav eventually managed to free himself from the tape and alerted a security guard, who rushed to his rescue. Police were informed about the incident at 1.20 am.
Additional Police Commissioner Vipin Tada and DCP Deependranath Chaudhary subsequently inspected the crime scene as investigators began examining the circumstances surrounding the robbery.
CCTV captures robbers fleeing farmhouse
Despite the farmhouse being equipped with 50 CCTV cameras, no footage captured the suspects entering the premises. However, surveillance footage reportedly showed two men dressed in black escaping by stepping onto a washbasin and jumping over a tin shed.
Police suspect the accused may have entered the property by climbing a tree adjoining a room, where marks believed to have been caused by shoe friction were discovered.
Police officials said the robbers appeared to be familiar with the farmhouse and its surroundings. Investigators are examining visitor records and questioning suspects to establish how the accused gained access to the property.
A dog squad also traced a possible route from the garden and a room towards a field behind the boundary wall.
Eight police teams formed to crack robbery case
Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said eight teams had been formed to investigate the robbery, while two suspects were being questioned.
The incident has raised questions about how the robbers managed to enter and escape from a property fortified with a 10-foot boundary wall topped with an additional two feet of barbed wire and monitored by 50 CCTV cameras.
Yadav has previously served two terms as block pramukh. He also contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election from Bithoor on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket but was unsuccessful.
