Three masked criminals entered the home of a wholesale potato trader in Falakata of Alipurduar district on Saturday night, held his 13-year-old son at knifepoint and took away Rs 11 lakh in cash and his wife’s gold ornaments.

Around 9pm on Saturday, the men with faces covered by towels reached the house of potato trader Parimal Sarkar at Jogendrapur in Falakata, and pressed the doorbell.

As Parimal’s wife Putul opened the door, they told her they had come to collect Durga Puja subscription. Parimal was not at home then.

With most people wearing masks amid the pandemic, an unsuspecting Putul ushered them into the drawing room. Within minutes, the trio shut the door from inside, and one of them drew a knife and asked Putul to keep quiet.

Their 13-year-old son who was in another room heard the voices and came into the drawing room. Seeing him, one of the three men dragged him and held him at knifepoint, said a police officer, quoting the boy’s mother.

“Threatening to kill him, they asked Putul Sarkar to hand over Rs 11 lakh in cash that was in the house. They also gagged her so that she could not shout. Finding no other alternative, she took out the money and gave it to them,” the police officer said.

Putul said they had also snatched the gold ornaments she had on. “But their faces were covered and I could not recognise anyone,” she said.

The trio disconnected the power supply of the house and fled the spot in a motorcycle.

Parimal filed a complaint with Falakata police.

Police sources said on Saturday, Parimal brought the cash at home as he could not deposit it in the bank. “We suspect that those involved in the crime are known to the trader and his family. They had prior information about the cash, even that Parimal divided the amount and kept it in two places. Our officers are working on inputs,” said district police chief Amitabha Maity.