Udaipur : Four robbers held an 82-year-old man hostage in his house near the community center in Kanore town of VallabhNagar block in Udaipur past midnight on Monday and broke the lockers and fled with cash and jewelry worth approximately Rs 2 crore. The police said Sohanlal Kothari who lived alone in his house was held hostage by four unidentified men who got inside through the back door, held him hostage and ransacked the house.
Kothari was a money lender who gave money on interest in lieu of ornaments as security and hence he had much jewelry in his locker, police said. The old man in his FIR said the robbers decamped with 1.400 kg gold, 125 kilogram silver jewelry and 16 lakh rupees cash. As the news of the loot spread, people gathered in large number outside Kothari’s house. They were shocked as it was the biggest loot in the area in recent times. Additional SP Mukesh Sankhla, DSP and police team from Kanore police station arrived on being informed while FSL experts and a dog squad too was called in. The old man had been living alone since his wife’s death, five months ago and his son was retired and lived separately.
The old man told the cops that around 2.30 am four men broke open his house from the back door. They tied up his hands and legs and gagged him. Kothari said his nose bled due to suffocation and he fell unconscious. Meanwhile the robbers broke open two rooms and opened the lockers. They ransacked the cupboards, shelves and finally left after one and a half hour. The old man said that he had gained consciousness but the robbers left him thinking to be dead. After they left, Kothari mustered courage and shouted for help. Police has sought footage of all CCTV cameras installed in the area.