Woman assaulted, tied up during robbery in Darbhanga

Patna: Five masked and armed men allegedly stormed into the house of homoeopathic practitioner Pawan Mishra in Ward 8 (BB Tola) under Bahadurpur police station in Darbhanga district late on Thursday and assaulted his younger daughter-in-law before fleeing with cash and jewellery.Karishma Devi, 22, was alone at home with her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter while other family members had gone to a nearby temple. Police said the intruders held her hostage at gunpoint. Family members alleged that when she resisted, the accused beat her with sticks and the butt of country-made pistols, cut her hair and tied her hands and legs.They further alleged that the assailants injected her with sedatives before breaking open almirahs in three rooms and two Godrej cupboards.

The accused allegedly escaped with Rs 35,000 in cash and gold and silver ornaments worth around Rs 5 lakh.During the incident, Pawan’s grandson, Prashant Kumar Priyam, was on the roof talking on his mobile phone and did not notice anything because of the loud television sound. He became suspicious after the house was plunged into darkness when the main power supply was cut while neighbouring houses continued to have electricity.

When Prashant came downstairs, he found the house ransacked and Karishma unconscious.She was rushed to Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital for treatment. Police recorded her statement after she regained consciousness.Bahadurpur SHO Prasunjay Kumar said an FSL team had collected evidence from the spot and that police were examining CCTV footage and carrying out raids.“An FIR has been registered against six unknown persons in the case,” he said.