Armed men loot auto parts store, attack owner

Ghaziabad: Three bike-borne assailants stormed into an auto parts store in Ghaziabad on Thursday and thrashed the owner and his son before they allegedly escaped with cash that had been kept in the counter. The attack took place at around 3:30 pm in the shop located in a basement along the Rakesh Marg in old Ghaziabad. Police suspect motive was a dispute pertaining to a loan.
The store-owner’s son, Nishant Sapra (23), sustained head injuries while grappling with the intruders.His father, Ashok Sapra, was thrashed while a salesman took cover behind the counter.
“The men had probably arrived in two motorcycles. We could hear its noise. They threatened and abused us inside the store. One of the men dealt a blow on my head with a blunt object which could probably be a revolver. They scattered the items kept in our store and escaped with around Rs 2 lakh that had been kept in the cash counter,” Nishant told TOI.
According to Nishant, the men had not covered their faces and seemed familiar to him. He added that a couple of local people who also own shops nearby had seen the attackers. No CCTV has been installed in the store however the footages of CCTVs installed in the nearby areas are being examined.
On the basis of a complaint registered by Nishant, an FIR has been registered in the Kotwali police station under IPC section 307 (attempt to murder). Nishant named three men, Hashin, Nateesh, Nayeem, as accused in the FIR. All three men belong to the Kaila Bhatta area of Ghaziabad.
“No one has been seriously injured in the attack. From preliminary investigations, it seems the victims were under a debt. They had not been returning the loan due to which the attack took place. However, we are investigating the case from all angles,” said a police official.