Late Night Break-In At Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief's Home

More than half a dozen masked men entered the home of Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. The gang cut electricity, ransacked the property, and prowled through the Bijalpur neighbourhood in Indore's Rajendra Nagar for nearly two and a half hours, leaving residents terrified and the political establishment rattled.

The intruders struck with precision. At around 2 am, they cut the electricity supply to Mr Patwari's house, plunging the premises into darkness and disabling CCTV cameras installed inside. With faces covered, the gang forced its way in, breaking drawers and lockers in the office section of the home. Curiously, they left behind mobile phones and valuables, raising suspicions that the raid was not a typical robbery but something far more sinister.

The attackers did not stop at Mr Patwari's residence. In their two-and-a-half-hour rampage, they targeted at least three more homes in the vicinity, including those of Chief Municipal Officer (CMO) Rajkumar Thakur and Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board (MPEB) officer Narendra Dubey. In each case, the burglars cut through window nets and attempted to break in. 

The residents said the gang entered Bijalpur around 2 am and were last seen around 4:30 am. The audacity of their movements has sparked alarm about the security apparatus in one of Indore's key localities.

While Mr Patwari's own CCTV cameras failed to capture the intruders, the gang was partially recorded on cameras installed at the homes of neighbours Narendra Dubey and Rajkumar Thakur. Grainy footage showed masked figures moving stealthily through the area, confirming their entry into Mr Patwari's house. Police are now analysing this footage as a crucial lead.

Police sources point to the notorious 'Bank Tanda' gang, a group linked to a spate of robberies across Rajendra Nagar, Rau, and Tejaji Nagar. Many of its members have been arrested in the past, but several are reportedly out on bail and active again. Tejaji Nagar Inspector Devendra Markam, who has previously cracked down on the gang, confirmed their suspected involvement, though he emphasised that investigations are ongoing.