Eight “well-dressed” dacoits broke into a wildlife activist’s Karjat home in the wee hours of Wednesday, only to leave empty-handed. This has left Dr Sarita Subramaniam wondering whether “someone was trying to send her a message, and what if they are back?” Dr Sarita and her husband P V Subramaniam have filed a complaint at Karjat police station. The police visited her house, collected the footage of CCTV cameras and recorded her husband’s statement to register an FIR.

The dacoits broke into the house around 3 am-3.45 am, Dr Sarita told mid-day. “When we got up in the morning, we saw the steps near the devi statue were broken and the main gate was open. So we checked the CCTV camera footage and were shocked to see eight men armed with guns, swords, hammers, rods and chloroform spray inside our house. “They came through a small window in mummy’s bathroom. It had a wire mesh. The gang seemed seasoned players and they were well prepared, wearing masks, gloves and hoodies. They knew about the cameras and they were still not bothered. I don’t understand why they didn’t steal anything,” she added.