Rourkela, Oct. 1: A gang of four robbed a family of its valuables at knifepoint in the Sector V area here today.

No male member was present at the residence of Basant Kumar Das, a retired employee of the Rourkela Steel Plant, when the robbery occurred in the morning.

Das, who has taken the quarter on lease, practises homeopathy following his retirement. He had left for his clinic at 9am with his wife Bharati and daughter-in-law Sunita at home.

The four youths, described to be in their 20s, barged into the room when Bharati was speaking to her elder daughter over phone. They took away the mobile from her and asked for the keys to the wardrobe.

They collected whatever valuables they could find. When their neighbour Nirmala Debi visited Das's house, the robbers snatched her gold chain as well.

A large crowd gathered as the women raised alarm. However, the robbers managed to flee the scene on their bikes.

Speaking to The Telegraph, deputy superintendent of police at zone 1 P.K. Mishra said the four might be keeping watch on the house for sometime.

"They must have kept the house under surveillance for sometime. Today, they managed to rob them," said Mishra.

He said the robbers escaped with a gold locket, a chain, earrings, bangles and 10 silver coins, besides the neighbour's gold chain.

Crude bomb

Unidentified criminals allegedly lobbed a crude bomb on the psychology department at Ravenshaw University on Thursday evening in an attempt to disturb law and order situation ahead of the students' union polls.

Official sources said one air-conditioner of the department has been damaged in the incident.

However, Malgodown inspector-in-charge D.P. Patra claimed that there was no bombing but some low intensity firecrackers were used to create panic in the campus.