Jewellery stolen from I-T office

worth ₹2.25 crore that was seized from a city-based jeweller a couple of days back, was stolen from the office of a senior income tax officer early on Sunday, police said.

The burglary took place inside the income tax building, which is close to the Kota city police control room and the Abhay Command Centre, some of them said.

The police have arrested the three accused, including a computer operator working on contract at the income tax department and recovered the stolen jewellery from the trio late on Sunday, said Kota city superintendent of police Anshuman Bhomiya.

The three accused include a computer operator and his two associates, one of whom works with an e-commerce company, he said.

“The trio went on drinking spree until midnight on Saturday and committed the burglary at 1 am at the I-T office.”

The three accused in the age group of 25 to 30, Bhomiya said, adding that police have recovered the stolen jewellery worth ₹2.25 crore, he said.

The burglary came to light after the office situated on the Rawatbhata road, was opened on Sunday morning, income tax officials said.

Income tax officials said tax sleuths carried out raids at a city-based jeweller, Kailash Chand Manak Chand Sarraf a couple of days back in which the jewellery was seized.

Jewellery in two boxes were kept in a safe of an almirah at the office of assistant director (investigation wing) AL Meena’s office, and the keys to the safe were kept in another almirah, an I-T official, who did not want to be named, said.

The burglars entered the I-T building from the rear of the building by breaking a wooden gate and entered the office of assistant director, and carried out the burglary, the official said.

The accused also tried to damage the CCTV cameras installed within the I-T department premises but images of two veiled thieves were captured on the CCTV cameras, which helped us to arrest the trio, said Bhomiya.

Only one security guard mans the main gates of the building and since the burglars entered the building from behind, they succeeded in their attempt, he said.

KOTA:Jewellery