The only occupants of the house were his mother, wife, younger sister and his two-year-old son when the youths rang the doorbell at around 11.30 a.m..

When the journalist's wife opened the door, the youths said that they were experts in cleaning brassware and also sold rare items. Though the former said that she was not interested, the two insisted that she consult the rest of the family.

Even as the she went to speak to her mother-in-law, the youths barged inside and settled down on the floor with their wares. They picked up a brass vessel in the living room and pretended to clean it.

Moments after the journalist's mother stepped into the living room, the youths put some powder on her wrists and removed two silver bangles and two gold bangles she was wearing.

They put the gold jewellery into a liquid, which they said was a very good cleansing agent. Noticing that the kadaas were melting, the journalist's sister rushed towards the youths and caught hold of one of them by his collar. She also pulled out the kadaas from the liquid.

The other youth got up immediately and managed to escape with the silver bangles and the liquid containing the gold. The journalist's sister and his wife, nevertheless, grappled with him and held him captive for some time.

He, however, managed to wriggle out by twisting the journalist's sister's arm behind her back, which led to a serious injury. Even as he escaped, he dropped some of the `cleaning' powder and other materials on the floor.

Though the victims raised an alarm, the neighbours failed to trace the youths. The Pahargunj police reached the spot in the afternoon and flashed the description of the youths on the wireless set.

The police said that it would be difficult to trace the youths because they could have come from outside the city. The police are yet to register a case of robbery.