Four people barged into a senior couple's home on Sunday and looted gold jewellery, cash, and a ruby-fitted gold ring that a neighbour had given them to keep.

Baban Choubey, who lives in Purnodaya Apartment in Nageshwar Colony, opened the door to four men at 1.30pm. The group identified them as jewellers who wanted to see a gold ring fitted with the gemstone "manikya (ruby)". As Baban and his wife Renu - both in their 70s - turned around to get the ring, one of the four men whipped out a pistol and held them hostage.

In 15 minutes, they searched the couple's almirah and stole Rs 70,000, gold jewellery worth Rs 2.5 lakh. They also stole the ruby ring which is estimated at Rs 5 crore. Choubey, a retired bank official whose apartment is close to the houses of two Union ministers and a former chief minister, told police his neighbour Kulkant Singh had given him the ring to keep but had also contacted one Mushtaq Khan to sell it to. He claimed one of the four men was Mushtaq.

Once informed, the police reached the spot to enquire. Choubey told the police team led by additional superintendent of police (law and order) Shibli Nomani: "Kulkant had recently contacted one Mushtaq Khan to sell the gemstone. Mushtaq and his associates reached my flat and took away the gemstone, cash and jewellery." An investigating officer said the men had reached the apartment in a red car - footage from a closed-circuit television camera installed in a nearby apartment has captured the pictures of the robbers and their car.

Nomani said the case will be solved soon and the couple have been quizzed. "Preliminary investigation has revealed that the suspects were known to the victims. Those involved will be apprehended soon," he said, adding that efforts are on to trace Mushtaq, a resident of Samanpura.

Nomani, however, also said Choubey had earlier told the Kotwali police station house officer that Mushtaq came to his flat alone, asked for drinking water and later escaped with the ruby ring.