Masked duo gags, thrashes woman at knifepoint, loots wedding gold from Tolly flat in Kolkata

KOLKATA: A woman in her forties was allegedly held at knifepoint, tied up with her mouth stuffed with a cloth and assaulted by two burglars before being robbed of more than 160 gm gold, valued at around Rs 13.7 lakh.The incident was reported around 7.30 pm on Monday at a Moore Avenue flat, Gopinath Apartment, located barely a stone's throw from the crowded Dasani Studio and Regent Park police station.The incident comes days after armed dacoities at CR Avenue and Dum Dum. Cops said they are probing an insider angle as local CCTV footage has failed to show the entry or exit of outsiders two hours prior to the incident or after it.The victim, Sonali Biswas, resides on the first floor of the G+4 flat along with husband Piklu Biswas (58) and son Debajyoti Biswas. Debajyoti, who runs a paints business, was not at home. Sonali had left for an errand, and her husband was also not present at the house. Around 7 pm, Sonali returned home and opened the main door. According to the police complaint, two masked men who claimed to be delivery agents then entered the house forcefully."My wedding is fixed in a few days from now. We had some gold stored in the house," Debajyoti told TOI.According to the complaint, As soon as Sonali opened the door, two assailants pushed her from behind, causing her to fall to the ground. She was in pain as she received a major injury on her head and remained semi-conscious. The robbers then held her at knifepoint, looted the house and even threatened to kill her. To prevent her from alerting neighbours immediately, they gagged her and tied her hands and feet.An hour later, Sonali's husband returned home and found the door open, the house ransacked and his wife lying on the floor.Piklu told police, "The entire house had been ransacked. It seems the criminals were hiding outside our flat. They entered by threatening my wife with a knife and then tied her hands. She lost consciousness. When she regained consciousness, they gagged her to prevent her from screaming.""I got a call from my father around 8.30 pm and I rushed back. The rooms looked like a war zone. The almirahs were broken into and even cups and plates lay scattered all around," said Debajyoti."Piklu said that after his wife entered their flat, after opening the padlock, two masked persons also entered. One of them had a knife. Out of fear, her wife opened the almirah, and they took the gold," said a senior officer at Lalbazar. "No suspicious movement was noticed in entry and exit CCTVs," said another officer.A written complaint has been filed with Regent Park PS. "There are a few loose ends that are not tying up. The biggest issue is about the entry and exit of the assailants. Besides the CCTV footage, we are analysing call dumps from the area. We are also recording statements of local witnesses," said an officer. Lalbazar's anti-dacoity unit is also helping in the probe.