Meerut, Feb. 14 -- Four masked criminals stormed a house in Sondat village in Meerut district late at night, looted cash and valuables worth lakhs of rupees, and assaulted an elderly woman before fleeing, police said on Friday. According to officials, the incident occurred late Thursday night when the suspects entered the home of Israr in a pre-planned manner. The gang allegedly broke open a safe and cupboards and stole about Rs.17 lakh in cash along with gold and silver ornaments. Israr told police that the stolen ornaments belonged to his three daughters-in-law. Authorities estimate the total loss in the robbery at around Rs.35-40 lakh. During the robbery, a 75-year-old woman, Alla, who was sleeping in another room, woke up after hearing noises. When she came out and raised an alarm, one of the attackers stuffed cloth into her mouth and beat her. The robbers then held family members hostage and escaped with the cash and jewellery along with their accomplices. Police reached the spot soon after being informed. Senior officers including DIG Kalanidhi Naithani, SSP Avinash Pandey, SP traffic Raghavendra and CO Mawana Pankaj Lavania inspected the crime scene and gathered details from the victims. Police have begun scanning CCTV footage from nearby areas to identify the suspects....