A Melbourne family has been left traumatised after two allegedly armed intruders broke into their Truganina home, threatening to kill them and stealing their car.
Chetan Patel, his pregnant wife Rohini, and their five-year-old daughter were in their bedroom when the men appeared, one allegedly carrying a knife and the other an axe.
“They threatened us by swinging their weapons,” Chetan told 9News.
“One of them said, ‘Give us the car keys or we’re going to kill you all. I’m going to kill your daughter.’”
The intruders allegedly jumped the fence, entered through the garage door, and made their way upstairs before escaping in the family’s new car.
The incident has left the family deeply shaken. Their daughter is now too scared to be alone in their home. “That five minutes is going to stay with us forever,” Chetan said.
“What they really stole is our peace of mind.”
Police recovered the stolen vehicle five kilometres away in Tarneit and arrested two men, aged 19 and 26, from Geelong. Both suspects appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court and were remanded in custody.
Rohini expressed relief that the offenders were not minors.
“If they were under 18, they could have easily been let off.”
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