Srinagar: A family from Hokersar-Shikargah area on Srinagar outskirts Friday alleged theft of gold articles, cash and pashmina shawls during the nocturnal raid on July 7 and July 8 by the “men in uniform.”

The distressed family members appealed to the IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar and SSP Srinagar Sandeep Choudhary to investigate the matter and book those involved in the act.

On Friday, a group of women, girls and elderly staged a protest at press colony Srinagar saying that men wearing army uniform clutching guns in their hands, knocked the door of their house on the pretext of carrying out a search at 1:40 am on July 7.

“We were sleeping when they knocked on the doors repeatedly. When my uncle opened the main door, they told us not to be afraid as a cordon had been laid outside and they were just carrying out searches,” said Khushi, a family member whose house has been looted.

She said that the men in uniform told them to assemble in one room so that they can carry out searches properly. “They snatched our mobile phones and went upstairs. They sought keys to open our lockers and cupboards and wardrobes. They asked us not to make noise,” she said, adding that, “we tried to resist and then they told us since there was an encounter in the area recently, they had to carry out searches.”

Khushi alleged that when the family members went upstairs after men in uniform left their house, they found all gold items worth lakhs of rupees, cash and Pashmina shawls missing from cupboards.

“We approached the concerned police station where we were told to come at 10 am. We have lodged a complaint there but nothing happened. We are three sisters and had managed to buy gold after saving hard earned money,” she said, accompanied by family members and women from their area.

The protestors urged the IGP Kashmir and SSP Srinagar to take cognizance of the incident and to find out “whether the men in uniform were army men or thieves.” “We are hopeful to get justice from the IGP Kashmir and SSP Srinagar. We are poor and can’t afford to buy the gold and other items looted from our house yet again,” they said.

Meanwhile, defence sources said that “army doesn’t operate in the areas that fall in SMC limits”. KNO

KR Desk