Four unidentified assailants barged into the 11, Akbar Road residence of the minister of state for food processing in a red beacon car and assaulted the minister’s personal security officer when he prevented them from making way into his office on Saturday evening.
Police sources said the four assailants, who are allegedly having a financial dispute with the minister, then managed to make their way out of the residence, despite a heavy security cordon in the area. A complaint was forwarded by the minister’s office to Delhi police following which a case under Sections 451 (house trespass), 353 (assault to deter public servant from discharging his duty) and others of the IPC was lodged at the Tughlaq Road police station.
Police sources revealed that Subodh Kant Sahai, Lok Sabha member from Ranchi, Jharkhand, was not at his residence when the incident occurred on Saturday evening. The minister, who is in Jharkhand, has reportedly hired private security for manning the front gate of his residence.
The assailants arrived in a VIP car bearing a red beacon at around 6 pm on Saturday. “The car was allowed to pass through the gates without any security check, causing a major security breach. The assailants then started walking towards the minister’s office when the PSO of the minister, identified as one Swaroop, intercepted them,” a source disclosed. The assailants thrashed Swaroop and threatened other staff at the minister’s residence before making their way out.
Despite repeated attempts to contact the minister, he was not available for his comments. His assistant private secretary, Anil Sharma, said, “I have no idea about the incident. You should talk to the minister”. Reliable sources said the assailants are having a financial dispute with the minister. “The assailants have been identified and they are working with a national political party,” a source said.
When contacted, joint commissioner of police (New Delhi), Dharmendra Kumar said, “We are working on the case and the facts will become clear once we arrest the accused. So far, no arrests have been made,” he said. When asked whether financial dispute was responsible for the assault, Kumar said, “We don’t have any such information.”