A gang of robbers looted goods and machinery worth about Rs 25 lakh from a hardware factory in Sahibabad area here, police said today.
Police suspected the involvement of a factory guard in the loot and said the accused has been missing since the robbery last night.
The loot came to light when some guards went to the factory for their shift this morning and found the on-duty guard, Ramesh Kumar, in an unconscious state.
They guards informed the factory manager after they found the other guard, Pankaj, missing.
"When other guards went to take charge of shift this morning, they found Ramesh lying unconscious on the factory premises and Pankaj missing," said a senior police officer.
"Ramesh told police that he had a dinner with Pankaj last night. After dinner he fell unconscious and didn't know what happened thereafter," the officer said.
Police said there was no CCTV camera inside the factory.
A case has been registered and the accused would be arrested soon, the officer added.
