Bhubaneswar, May 28: Armed robbers barged into the home of a photojournalist in Puri and decamped with valuables worth over Rs 2.5 lakh early morning today.

Sarat Patra, the 60-year-old photojournalist, suffered injuries and bruises all over his body during a scuffle with the one of the robbers. His wife, Archana, received deep wounds in her head, requiring 20 stitches.

Patra and his wife were sleeping when two masked men barged into the house at Bharatipur within Sadar police limits, armed with daggers. They entered the house by breaking open a window grille. The duo ransacked one bedroom before entering the other bedroom where the couple were sleeping.

"I woke up with a start when I heard a noise and found a masked man coming out of the room. I tried to catch him, but he started throwing punches at me. By that time, my husband also woke up and the other goon started assaulting him. Suddenly, he attacked me with a dagger. I fell on the ground and both the robbers fled," said Archana. She was later admitted to a nearby hospital. She was discharged with 20 stitches on her head.

The robbers broke the cupboard in the bedroom and took jewellery and cash, the exact value of which could not be immediately ascertained. "They were wearing masks. From their appearances, I think they were youths," said Patra.

The incident has become a source of concern for residents of the city, which had seen frequent such robberies in the recent past. "Patra is a well-known photojournalist in the city and most people in the area know him and his family well. The audacity of the robbers, who not only decamped with the valuables, but also attacked a woman, proves that they had scant regard for police," said a neighbour.

Residents also said the police had failed to control crimes in the area. Incidents of robbery, snatching and extortion are frequent here.

"Goons had hacked Chandan Kumar Behera, a hotelier, a few meters from the police station in January. Several cases of bombing have also taken place this year," local resident Ajay Pradhan said.

District superintendent of police Sarthak Sarangi said a case had been registered and five persons had been detained on suspicion of their involvement in the incident.