A 20-year-old journalism student from Assam was robbed of cash and other valuables by three men who forcefully entered the premises of her PG facility in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area and threatened her room mates saying that they would come back for more money, police said today.
The incident has triggered panic among people from the northeast community living in the area. One of the girls living in the PG facility was so traumatised that she left for her hometown today.
Delhi Social Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar said the city government was looking into the issue and that police was investigating it thoroughly.
The incident took place around 10.15 AM yesterday when three girls, all mass communication students of Tezpur Central University, were present in the paying guest facility at Kishangarh locality of Vasant Kunj and three men approached them on the pretext of donation, a senior official said.
When they agreed and loosened the grip over the bolt of the door, the men forcefully entered into the flat and snatched the purse of one of them. They made away with cash Rs 2,000.
"As they left, they threatened us saying they would come again and asked us to keep more cash ready. We called up the police immediately and a police team came to investigate the matter," the complainant said.
All three girls are pursuing internship with leading media houses in Delhi-NCR.
"A case is being registered. Efforts are on to track down the accused," additional DCP (South) Nupur Prasad said.
The trio were dressed like people from a particular community and they were seeking donation for some religious cause. It is suspected that they are a gang operating in south Delhi localities.
"We informed our parents after the incident, following which the father of one of my room mates asked her to return to Assam immediately. She left today without finishing her internship," the complainant said.
She further said there is no security arrangement in the women PG facility. "It is hard to believe how just three men could forcefully enter the premises of a women PG."
Delhi government's NE cell member J Maivio said, "These kind of things are common and the strategy is tried and tested. Sometimes these miscreants come in fake police uniform in the pretext of work."
"People from the northeast are extremely vulnerable since they have virtually no support system in the city. And justice is meted out rarely. Charge sheets have been filed in handful of cases," he added.
Delhi Minister Kumar said "Government is looking into the matter. I spoke to SHO who told me that an FIR has been registered in connection with the case."
The probe into the the matter is being monitored by senior officials of the district.
Joint Commissioner of Police, Robin Hibu, who is the nodal officer for issues concerning people from north-eastern part of the country living here, could not be availed for comments despite several attempts.
