Anil Singh was blindfolded, dragged around his house and had to obey the two men who allegedly robbed his home last weekend. If he did not obey them, he may have been killed.

Mr Singh, a 67-year-old former Po­lice officer, was alone at his Korovu­to home in Nadi on Saturday when he heard noises near his kitchen door and went to check.

He said it took the two robbers only 10 seconds to unlock the kitch­en door, burst through the shutters and enter his three-bedroom home.

“As soon as I was near them, they grabbed my face, wrapped it with a towel and tied my hands and held my neck; I couldn’t breathe,” he claimed.

“They took me to the room. My wife’s jewellery was there, I had $500 cash; I was keeping it to pay the carpenter who was working on my home, but they took it all.”

Mr Singh’s wife is away in New Zealand.

He said his wife’s jewellery was worth more than $2000.

“They said they were Policemen from Sigatoka saying I had a gun in my house and that I was selling marijuana,” he claimed.

“I listened to what they told me to do because they said ‘if you yell out or make any noise we are going to kill you’.

“They tied me up and put me in the toilet before they ran away. I suspected they had left when there was no sound then I had to free my­self,” he alleged.

He recalled seeing the two men in long pants, canvas, a hat, a long sleeve coat and said they covered their faces showing only their eyes.

Second robbery

The home of Mr Singh’s neigh­bour, Ronald Rajneel, was also robbed on the same night, but Mr Rajneel was away in Ba with his family at a gathering.

Mr Rajneel’s wife, Pritika Prakash, said robbers had entered through their children’s room and stole jewellery and about $800 cash.

Ms Prakash said both incidents shocked the community and she was still afraid over what hap­pened.

Police spokesperson, Ana Naisoro confirmed that one suspect was ar­rested, questioned and released.

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