A woman was allegedly robbed at gunpoint by three masked motorcycle-borne assailants in Harkrishan Nagar, Phagwara, while she was returning home from a market with her mother-in-law late Monday evening. The robbers reportedly fled with her gold jewellery worth over Rs 3.5 lakh. The victim's family has accused the police of failing to respond immediately despite being informed about the incident.
According to the victim, Sakshi Salaria, the incident took place when she and her mother-in-law were returning home on their two-wheeler after shopping. She alleged that three masked youths riding a motorcycle first overtook them and then stopped at a short distance ahead. The assailants allegedly placed a pistol against one side of her neck and a sword on the other while hurling abuses, before forcibly snatching her gold chain, mangalsutra and locket. The accused then fled on their motorcycle. She said one of the suspects had his face completely covered.
The victim claimed that the stolen jewellery was worth more than Rs 3.5 lakh and added that the police were informed immediately after the incident. The family alleged that despite informing the city police about the serious armed robbery, they neither reached the spot nor initiated an immediate response. Instead, they were allegedly asked to visit the police station around 10:30 am the next day. The alleged apathetic response has triggered resentment among local residents, who questioned the effectiveness of the police emergency response system.
Residents said that if law enforcement fails to respond promptly even to incidents involving armed robbery, it would embolden criminals and undermine public confidence in policing. They asserted that delayed action in such serious cases raises concerns over public safety and law and order in the city.
Efforts to obtain an official version in the matter from the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) were unsuccessful, as repeated phone calls went unanswered. The police had not issued an official statement on the incident at the time of filing of this report.