Bhubaneswar, March 28: Police today arrested three persons in connection with a robbery that took place on March 12 at a house in Shreevihar of Chandrashekharpur.

The main accused, Krushna Chandra Mohanty, 28, worked as a cook for the complainant, Priiti Ranjan Hota, an engineering student who had taken the house on rent.

His two accomplices, Mitu Behera, 22, and Braja Bandhu Swain, 20, both hailing from Nayagarh district, have also been arrested. However, another accused, Lochan Swain, 22, is absconding.

The accused had struck on March 12 night with the cook purposely opening a door to let in his accomplices.

To avoid suspicion, the cook left the house after preparing dinner. While Mitu and Braja entered through the door that was kept open, the third accused, Lochan, rang the doorbell.

When Hota opened the door, Lochan and his two associates, who were already inside, pounced on Hota. They also held his mother, who was in the house, hostage at gunpoint.

The accused demanded Rs 50 lakh from the old woman to spare her son. When she was pleading with the criminals to leave her son alone, the doorbell rang again.

The accused panicked and decamped with whatever they could lay their hands on. The loot included two gold rings, two cell phones and a purse that had a few ATM cards.

Hota’s father works with BSNL in Mumbai.

Later, the police took the cook into custody on suspicion and arrested two of his accomplices after questioning him. The police have seized a country-made pistol, two live bullets, a knife and a stolen gold ring from the accused.

The police said Hota had employed Krushna as his cook barely a month ago without verifying his antecedents. The complainant had not even tried to find out the cook’s address.

“We have been requesting the citizens to verify the antecedents of domestic helps before appointing them. However, most people do not think it necessary to follow our advice. We again appeal to them to be careful in this regard,” said police commissioner R.P. Sharma.

Sharma said that the associates of the cook had criminal pasts. They were involved in a number of cases in Bhubaneswar and Nayagarh.