Family tied up, beaten in armed home invasion, robbery; Munster police seeking public's help

MUNSTER, Ind. (WLS) -- A search is underway for five armed men accused of forcing their way into a home and attacking three people inside in northwest Indiana.

The home invasion happened in Munster late last month.

On Tuesday, one of the victims decided to speak out, while Munster police are asking for the public's help.

It was an unsuspecting Friday morning, and a Munster family had relatives over, visiting from India.

That's when five men with guns busted into their home.

"He goes, 'come on, open the safe, show me where is the money,'" said the victim, who does not want to be identified. "For the money, money, money, then I realized, they're here for my money."

The victim said the crew entered through a garage door that was left open, beat him and his family, bound their hands and feet with zip ties and began their crime spree.

It took him 40 minutes to find his sister, who had been dragged down to the basement, while her 5-month-old grandchild was upstairs.

"Finally we found her, and she was in terrifying condition. She has never seen anything like this, even in the movies, horrifying, hitting her with a gun, dragging her down, and beating her with the shoes," the victim said.

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Thousands of dollars in items were stolen.

The incident lasted over 90 minutes, but the trauma remains.

"Her mouth was totally taped up with duct tape, like 10 times. She couldn't breathe, only her nose, and it was banged on the ground, so it was bleeding. The nose was bleeding badly. She was terrified," the victim said.

Neighbors' surveillance cameras captured images of the suspects, seen in reflective, yellow vests.

They left in two vehicles, which were later recovered in Chicago.

"So far, the investigation has found out that this was a targeted event, that the people had done their homework," Munster Police Chief Stephen Scheckel said.

Although the entrance to the neighborhood is secured by gates, the Munster police chief said because of ongoing construction in the area, the suspects likely followed a vehicle in.

"It was a perfect opportunity, and one we believe they were waiting for," Scheckel said.

It's been nearly a month, and there are still no leads.

The victims are offering a $15,000 reward for any information that could lead to an arrest; call Munster police at (219) 836-6630.