Rs17 lakh stolen from imitation jewellery shop

Nagpur: Unidentified burglars struck at an imitation jewellery and cosmetics shop owned by Raut brothers, near Bohra masjid at Itwari, and decamped with cash Rs17 lakh. The burglary was noticed on Tuesday morning when the shop opened for business. The shop had closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, but the management had switched them off while closing the shop.
Sources from the shop said the burglars sneaked into the premises by bending an iron gate on the terrace. After making a foiled bid to lay their hands upon some valuables in the two upper floors, the burglars went to the ground floor, where they broke open a secret vault in the display section to take out the cash. The vault was concealed among drawers behind the owner and cashier’s seat.
The shop owners and police believe it is impossible for an outsider to know about the concealed vault. The manner in which the burglars accessed the premises after climbing the stairs of an adjacent building and crossing over the terrace has convinced cops and the shop owners that someone with extensive knowledge of the interior of the shop was behind the burglary.
“The cash is generally shifted to banks frequently. The member of the family who conducts the financial operations for the shop was away, which had led to such a huge amount being there on Monday,” said a family source.
Without assistance from CCTV, the cops are basically clueless so far. The burglars, who may not have known that the CCTVs were switched off, tried to tamper with a few connections of the gadget and also turned a couple of the cameras away.
Apart from Tehsil police, which registered the case, senior officials of crime branch too visited the spot. It’s learnt that fingerprints were discovered at a few places by the investigation squad. Police have also started trailing a few ex-employees of the place, who were sacked for misbehaviour and other mischief.
The focus is upon a former employee who was sacked after being caught stealing. Some hardened burglars too are under the scanner.