3 min readApr 19, 2026 09:16 AM IST
Over 150 CCTV cameras have been scanned to trace the accused after jewellery worth over Rs 25 lakh was robbed from a bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi Tughlak Road area on Thursday evening, allegedly by a domestic help and his five aides, said officers.
Two days on, investigators on Saturday said they were trying to join the dots and gather clues about the group of men who allegedly arrived near the house in an SUV with a fake number plate and left the house after ransacking it. Police have registered a case and formed multiple teams to trace the robbers, said officers, adding that raids are being conducted in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana.
The house in the Golf Link area is owned by businessman Ashok Chawla, whose son Pranav owns Gurgaon-based liquor firm Whiskin Spirits. Ashok, his wife, Pranav’s wife and his son were allegedly held hostage by the domestic help and his aides as they robbed the house around 7:30 pm on Thursday, said officers. Pranav was on his way home from the office when the incident happened. A source earlier said, “Around 7:30 pm, the main accused entered the property, and was allowed in by the family as they knew him. But five of his accomplices also followed him in, and were carrying sticks and hammers with them.” They allegedly manhandled some of the family members. Officers said they went on to check each room of the house, collecting gold jewellery worth Rs 25-30 lakh.
Investigators have now found that the domestic help, who was hired just a week before, had conducted a reconnaissance of the area earlier while plotting the robbery. Officers added that he knew that the back door of the house was not used often.
Citing the CCTV footage, officers said the accused came near the house in an SUV with a fake number plate, then got out of it to walk towards the bungalow. They didn’t gather around the house all at once, but in pairs to evade suspicion, officers added.
“They entered the house through the front door, locked it, and went out through the back door. The owner’s son reached the house with his friend after the incident, and had to break the door,” a source said.
The source added, “There was no CCTV camera on the front side of the house, while the ones on the backside were defunct.”
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The domestic help was hired about four to five days ago on the recommendation from a former house help. His background check was allegedly yet to be done by the family, said officers.
