UMERKOT, Jan 7: Bandits looted cash, gold ornaments and prize bonds in a house robbery in the jurisdiction of New Chhor police here on Wednesday.

Lekhraj Maharaj, a retired teacher, told Dawn that four unidentified armed men barged into his house at about 2am, held family members hostage on gunpoint and looted 1.25kg gold, prize bonds worth Rs150,000, Rs30,000 cash and other valuables.

He said that the earning of his life and dowry of his daughters had been looted by dacoits. He said that dacoits remained busy in looting for two hours and then escaped without any fear.

After the incident, sniffer dogs were hired which followed footsteps of dacoits but lost them at some distance as dacoits had boarded a vehicle.

The area people came out on the roads, raised slogans against rising crime rate in the area, burnt tyres and blocked Chhor-Umerkot road, suspending vehicular traffic for two hours. Business activities in the town were also suspended due to shutterdown strike by traders.

Provincial minister Syed Ali Mardan Shah, Umerkot DPO Hafiz Abdul Hadi Bullo, District Naib Nazim Hameer Singh and Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) leader Faqir Abdul Ghani Mangrio reached the house of Mr Lekhraj and assured him of justice.

However, no FIR was lodged till the filing of this report.