Mumbai Crime: Mother of 2-month-old baby fights armed robbers

Photo for representational purpose

The mother of a two-month-old baby fought off armed men, who allegedly barged into her home and attacked her elderly parents and domestic helpers with the intention of robbing the house, in Jogeshwari (East) recently. The woman was later treated for minor injuries, police said, adding that three men were arrested and a revolver, knife, screwdriver, spanner, and sticking tape were recovered from them.

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As per a report in The Indian Express, police identified the prime accused as Saddam, who arrived at the home of 62-year-old businessman Girish Gala with a box of sweets. "Saddam told the elderly man that he had brought him sweets for Diwali and hugged him. While Saddam kept Gala distracted, two of his companions, who were armed with a country-made revolver and knife, rushed inside," said senior inspector Mahendra Nerlekar of Jogeshwari police station.

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According to police, Saddam held a screwdriver and a spanner to Gala's belly while the other two surrounded his wife and two domestic helps. Police said hearing her parents' screams, Dikshita Shah (28), who was inside a bedroom with her two-month-old daughter, rushed out to confront the men.

Saddam lunged at Shah with his screwdriver but missed and struck her on the hand instead, and then she pushed him away and ran back into the bedroom to secure her baby, police said.

Saddam, however, followed her and struck her on the head with the screwdriver and spanner, but Shah fought back, picking up a glass of buttermilk from a table and throwing its contents into his face, police said.

While he got distracted, Shah grabbed her baby and locked Saddam inside the bedroom and ran to the balcony and called for help, police said.

Saddam's accomplices tried to flee, and one got into an autorickshaw on the road outside while the other tried escaping on foot but patrolling police personnel chased them down and managed to nab them. Saddam managed to flee and hasn't been caught. The police has arrested his two accomplices.

Nerlekar said Saddam and his accomplices, identified as Mohammad Alim Fazil Siddiqui and Mohammad Mustakeem Shaikh, are all residents of New Delhi.

"We are questioning the men to find out how they know Gala. We suspect that they knew about his business and came to Mumbai specifically to rob his home," Nerlekar said.

Nerlekar also praised Shah. "She fought bravely knowing that the men were armed," he said.

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