Retired judge, wife poisoned in robbery, servant absconding

The police have registered a case following a robbery in which food laced with a poisonous substance was served to a retired District and Sessions Judge and his wife. Both victims were hospitalised after the incident and their condition was reported to be stable.

The victims, identified as Virender Prasad, a retired judicial officer and his wife Beena, live in Sector 21B. According to the complaint, the couple fell unconscious shortly after eating food served by their servant-cum-cook, Raju Thapa, who is from Nepal. They were rushed to hospital by a relative for treatment.

It is alleged after the couple collapsed, the servant fled the house with cash, jewellery and other valuables. Thapa, who had been employed by the family for a few months, also took the DVR from the CCTV system to prevent his identity from being revealed.

Prasad, who had retired from judicial service on September 30 and moved to the area in October, regained consciousness; however, his wife remained unconscious at the time of the filing of this report.

Upon receiving information, the police arrived at the scene and began an investigation, gathering CCTV footage from the area and neighbouring houses to trace the culprit. The value of the stolen goods has not yet been determined.

The NIT police station SHO, Anoop Singh said a manhunt has been launched, with teams from the crime branch working to apprehend Thapa.