KANPUR: Two masked men allegedly held BJP Pichhda Morcha state secretary Ramesh Yadav hostage at his farmhouse in Kanpur and robbed him of Rs 12 lakh in cash, jewellery and a watch on Monday night.The robbers tied his hands and legs, locked him in a bathroom and fled after spending about 37 minutes at the farmhouse in the Sen Paschimpara police station area, around 20 kilometres from the city.Yadav, who became Pichhda Morcha state secretary on Oct 1, had returned from Lucknow around 12.30 am after assuming charge. He was staying alone at the four-bigha farmhouse, about 500 metres from his home, where four guards were deployed.Yadav said his servant, Abhay Rajput, served him food and left around 10.45 pm. About 15 minutes later, two men entered, with one pressing a country-made pistol against his chest and the other carrying a bottle of petrol.They initially demanded Rs 2 crore before taking Rs 12 lakh from a locker and snatching his gold chain, ring and Rado watch, Yadav said. They then bound him tightly and left him with a towel and a water bottle. Yadav freed himself from the cello tape and called a guard, who rescued him.Police were informed at 1.20 am. Additional Police Commissioner Vipin Tada and DCP Deependranath Chaudhary inspected the scene.No CCTV footage showed the robbers entering the premises, but two men dressed in black were recorded fleeing by stepping on a washbasin and jumping over a tin shed. Police suspect they may have entered using a tree adjoining a room, where shoe-friction marks were found.Investigators said the robbers appeared familiar with the farmhouse. Police are examining details of visitors and questioning suspects. A dog squad traced a route from the garden and room to a field behind the boundary wall.Police commissioner Raghubir Lal said eight teams were investigating the case and two suspects were being questioned.The farmhouse has a 10-foot boundary wall topped with two feet of barbed wire and is equipped with 50 CCTV cameras.Yadav has served two terms as block pramukh and also unsuccessfully contested the 2022 assembly election from Bithoor on a BSP ticket.