An armed gang of eight, clad in only vest and underwear, cleaned out Rs 5.65 lakh in jewellery and cash from the house of a trader here in the small hours of Sunday.

Gauri Shankar Sah and three members of his family were attacked when they tried to resist the break-in at their Sidraul Bazartand home in Namkum, on the outskirts of the city. They have been hospitalised with head wounds.

Police suspect the role of the infamous chaddi-baniyan gang and have lodged an FIR. Forensic experts are collecting evidence from the crime scene.

Namkum thana OC Saumitra Pankaj Bhushan said the dacoity took place between 1am and 2am. “The intruders, said to be eight in number, were armed with lathi, axe and other sharp weapons. From what they were wearing and the modus operandi, we suspect that members of the chaddi-baniyan gang were involved,” he said.

The officer added that the armed men were aged between 25 and 30 years. “They were not wearing masks. They took away jewellery worth Rs 5 lakh and rest in cash. We have begun investigations.”

Sah, who runs a grocery and a mobile store in Namkum, and his wife Pushpa have been released from RIMS after treatment. But, the head wounds of his son Anil and daughter-in-law Ranju are more severe in nature. Hence, they are being kept under observation at the state-run hospital, sources said.

The trader has told police that noises in an adjoining room woke him up in the wee hours. He left his bed only to be confronted by three intruders.

“The owner of the house showed great courage. He grabbed one of the dacoits and was about to knock him down when five others barged in through the main gate whose lock had been dismantled by the others. The victim was easily outnumbered. He was also hit on the head and he collapsed. His family members rushed to his rescue, but were also attacked,” a police source said.

The injured family was held hostage while the intruders cleaned out almirahs for the next hour or so. They sneaked out after 2am, leaving the family bleeding. Neighbours later rushed Sah and the others to hospital.

Some residents claimed scrap scavengers were involved in the crime. But, police ruled out the possibility. They stuck to the chaddi gang theory.

In July, 2017, Ranchi and Jamtara police had jointly detained 100 members, including women and minors, of the gang. Around Rs 3 lakh in cash and huge quantities of gold and silver ornaments had been recovered from these people who belonged to the Gulgulia nomadic tribe. They were banished from the state.

Police suspect the gang has regrouped over the past year.