‘Tech-savvy’ robbers block cell signals, loot Rs15m from house in DHA Lahore

LAHORE: A five-member gang of robbers looted valuables, including gold ornaments and cash worth over Rs15 million from a house in Defence as they used a special device and blocked signals by jamming Bluetooth or wireless signals for cell phones, GPS and Wi-Fi.

They dodged several police stations, used motorway and then took an exit from a Faisalabad interchange while the special teams were waiting at the exit points in Islamabad and Sargodha.

The police from various cities of the province failed to trace and arrest the hardened criminals despite the deployment of several teams.

It was said to be the fourth house robbery they committed in the jurisdiction of Defence A and Defence C during a span of 20 days.

Suspects keep police on their toes, exit from motorway’s Faisalabad interchange; fourth incident in 20 days

The sources said the five masked men brought a special device and disrupted the operations of all the mobile phone services in the radius of 100 meters from the targeted house to render the family unable to contact the police or any other for help.

Located at FF Block of DHA Phase 4, the house was owned by a retired SP Rana Azeem who had rented it out to a family.

Mubashar Ahmad, the head of the family, told the police that five armed robbers forced entry into his residence on Tuesday midnight.

Three of them were carrying rifles, and two others pistols, he said adding that the dacoits held the family hostage in a room and collected 35 tola gold, including bangles and locket sets worth over Rs8.75 million, 12 branded watches valuing over Rs1.3m, a cash of Rs3.5m besides other valuables.

He told the police that the dacoits took away Rs15.5 million worth of valuables.

Mubashar claimed that one of the robbers was an elderly man between 65 and 70 and another one 50 years of age.

Talking to Dawn, Lahore Organised Crime Unit (OCU) DIG Imran Kishwar said according to the initial investigations, it was the fourth house robbery the same gang committed during the span of last 20 days in DHA in the jurisdictions of Defence A and C.

Each time, he said, they used a Honda Civic car with fake registration number plates.

After looting the house on Tuesday midnight, the robbers fled towards the motorway, he said adding that the police teams had been activated to trace and arrest them soon after the family alerted them.

As they reached near Sherakot, an encounter took place with the SHO concerned and his team, he said. “Robbers opened fire, hit the police barriers and managed to reach the motorway.”

As the police got a tip-off that robbers were using motorway, police teams erected pickets at the exit points of Islamabad, Sargodha and some other districts as the police were expecting the suspects would use one of them to escape.

However, they took a [surprise] exit from Faisalabad and disappeared, the DIG said adding that the Punjab police have contacted Dera Ismail Khan police following the reports that they would go underground there.

“We are on a hot pursuit of the hardened criminals and will round them up soon,” Mr Kishwar said.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2024