Two masked men allegedly tied up BJP OBC Morcha state secretary Ramesh Singh Yadav at his farmhouse in Kanpur and escaped with cash and jewellery after locking him in a bathroom late on Monday night. Police suspect the robbers were familiar with the farmhouse and its security arrangements and have (identified) 12 to 14 people for questioning.
Two suspects have been detained for questioning, and police are examining CCTV footage, surveillance inputs and other evidence. The four security guards — Amit, Neeraj, Phoolchandra and Balram — had been sent away for dinner. They took him to the locker room, where one threatened him with a firearm while the other carried a knife. The men allegedly forced him to open the locker and took cash, a gold chain and a ring. However, two men dressed in black were captured on camera while fleeing. They were seen stepping on a washbasin to climb onto a tin roof before jumping down.
Joint commissioner of police (law and order) Vipin Tada said police had received a complaint reporting a robbery of ₹ 12 lakh and were taking steps to register a case. His follower, Abhay Rajput, said he reached the farmhouse around 11:30 pm.
Eight teams have been formed under DCP (south) Dipendra Nath Chaudhary to investigate the incident, according to officials. Rajput said he served Yadav his meal before going to sleep in a room near the main gate. Yadav later told him that two men entered his room, tied his hands and feet and covered his mouth with adhesive tape, according to Rajput. No CCTV footage showing the men entering the farmhouse has been found so far, according to police.
Reports said Yadav returned from Lucknow on Monday night after taking charge as state secretary of the BJP’s OBC Morcha the same day.
