Mother's terror after masked raiders hold screwdriver to toddler daughter's throat: I thought my little girl was going to die

Masked raiders threatened to kill a young child in front of her parents in a “callous” raid on a family home.

The gang held a screwdriver to the girl’s throat before ordering her mother to hand over cash and jewellery worth more than £50,000.

Akshata Solankhi, 25, told how the 11-minute ordeal left her two-year-old daughter too traumatised to speak.

She was tricked into opening the front door of her home in Northolt, west London, by a woman delivering religious leaflets and then jumped by three masked men who frogmarched her back inside.

Her husband and the child’s grandmother, 51, were also threatened by the gang.

Mrs Solankhi, who works in security at Heathrow Airport said: “One of the men told me to give him jewellery. He was holding a screwdriver to my little daughter’s throat. He said ‘I will kill her if you don’t give me everything.’

“I told him I would give him everything, but he wouldn’t believe me. I thought he was going to kill her, I thought my little girl was going to die.

“I gave them all my jewellery and cash.. I didn’t care I just wanted to save my little girl. It must have been eleven minutes they were in the house before I could convince them that I had handed everything over.

“They had already pushed me and I bashed my head. One of them also pushed my mother, we were terrified. When they left we were shaking. My daughter can’t even speak now, she is traumatised.”

She said wedding jewellery was among the precious items ransacked before the gang fled.

Mrs Solankhi added: “This had so much sentimental value I am devastated. We had only just moved in it was so frightening for us. These people need to be brought to justice.”

No arrests have been made but police have issued an e-fit image of the female member of the gang who knocked on the door of the flat in in Taywood Road at 2pm on January 31.

Detective Sergeant Neil Hudson, from Metropolitan Police, said: “The family have been left terribly distraught by the callous actions of these people.

“The incident is even more disturbing by the fact that a young person was threatened with a weapon during the attack. I urge anyone who recognises this woman to contact us immediately.”

Anyone who has information that could assist police is asked to call 101 with reference CAD 4170/31Jan.

Alternatively, tweet @MetCC, or to remain 100 per cent anonymous, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Read more

John Leslie tells jury in groping trial: 'I’m not a sexual monster'

Victims lose faith in justice as court cases delayed until 2022

Officer who shot Jermaine Baker can face misconduct proceedings

'ISIS Beatles' appear in US court charged over Western hostage deaths