In a daring overnight burglary straight out of a crime thriller, burglars recently broke into a jewellery shop by drilling a hole in a rear wall and made away with a haul of silver worth nearly Rs 1.2 crore.
Burglary at MB Jewellers
The burglary at MB Jewellers, located in RSK Complex, Havanur Extension, Hesaraghatta Main Road, came to light around 7.30 am on April 28. According to the complaint filed by the shop owner, Mahendra Kumar J, 50, with Bagalagunte police, he locked the shop the previous night around 9.15 pm after securing gold ornaments in a locker and leaving silver items in the display showcase. He was alerted about the burglary by the building owner, Ashok.
Panicked, Kumar rushed to the spot and found his shop still locked from the front, but with a major breach at the rear — a hole with a diameter of 1.5 feet. Adjoining the shop at the rear is a godown belonging to Ashok's relative. The burglars allegedly gained access by breaking the godown lock, then drilling through the wall to enter the jewellery shop undetected. Once inside, the burglars decamped with around 70 kg of silver articles, including chains, lamps, rings, and idols.
Parallel Break-in at Ceramics Shop
The burglary trail did not end there. In a parallel break-in, the thieves also targeted Prince Ceramics shop's godown, located behind the jewellery shop, where they broke open the shutters and stole a laptop, a mobile phone, a DVR system, souvenirs worth around Rs 50,000 and Rs 1,500 in cash. The ceramics shop is owned by Madhusudhan.
Police suspect the operation was carefully planned and carried out at night to avoid attention. A senior police officer said it appears that the burglars first committed theft at the ceramics godown, later broke the lock of the adjacent godown and drilled a hole into the jewellery shop.
Security Gaps
Kumar told police that he employed a security guard only during daytime hours. The CCTV camera installed in the store only has live streaming and no storage, a police officer claimed. "Since the DVR from the ceramics shop was stolen, we have verified CCTV cameras in the surrounding areas and are making efforts to nab the miscreants at the earliest," the officer added. A case has been registered under the BNS sections 305 (theft in a dwelling house, or means of transportation or place of worship, etc.) and 331 (punishment for house-trespass or housebreaking).
