Thieves steal locker containing valuables worth ₹1.50cr: Police

There was nobody at home except a worker who came to repair the washing machine. It was he who informed Rai’s relative that the doors were unlocked. SAAD MIYA KHAN,

Thieves struck at the villa of a financial officer with a Delhi-based media house in Greater Noida society on Friday night and made off with a locker containing valuables worth nearly ₹1.50 crore, police said on Saturday.

The complainant, Shashi Bhushan Rai, told the police that theft took place between 1pm and 2pm on Friday when he was away at work and the rest of his family away at their home town.

Rai told the police that he and the others in his family left for their home town on November 12. While the other members stayed back, he returned on November 21.

In the complaint, Rai said the thieves have taken away the locker that contained jewellery worth around ₹1 crore, ₹40 lakh cash and the CCTV DVR that has all the recordings of the cameras in the house. Police have registered a case under section 380 (theft in house dwelling) of the Indian Penal Code and started investigations. “The complainant told police that he was alone at his home till about 11am and he came to know about the theft incident around 2.30pm on Friday. So, we believe that the incident took place around 1pm. There was nobody at home except a worker who came to repair the washing machine. It was he who informed Rai’s relative that the doors were left unlocked,” said Saad Miya Khan, additional deputy commissioner of police (Central Noida).

Rai immediately returned home from his office in Delhi’s ITO. The additional DCP said while the locker had jewellery and other valuables, there was another bag with cash that has also been taken.

Police said other than these items, nothing else was taken from the villa, located inside Amrapali Leisure Valley, a gated society of 400 villas where approvals are required from the main gate for entry and exit. Even the common areas in the gated society are under CCTV coverage. The complainant has been living there with his family for the past six years.

“We have questioned the security guards of the society but so far, they have only said that they did not notice anything. We have formed teams to nab the culprits and are questioning other security guards too,” said Umesh Bahadur Singh, station house officer, Bisrakh police station.

Officials said that forensic teams have lifted evidence from the crime scene, and CCTV cameras are being checked and neighbours interrogated to ascertain whether they noticed any suspicious activity.

Police are also checking if the crime was committed by an insider or someone known to the family as they were aware of exactly where the cash and valuables were kept.