Thieves steal jewellery worth Rs 12 crore from Madhya Pradesh showroom
Burglars entered a Katni jewellery showroom by drilling through a nine-inch-thick rear wall during the early hours of Thursday.
Thieves broke into Kisna Jewellers in the Bargawan area of Katni, Madhya Pradesh, by drilling through a nine-inch-thick rear wall on Thursday, according to The Indian Express. The burglars entered the premises, emptied display counters, and broke into safes, escaping with gold and diamond ornaments estimated to be worth Rs 12 crore.
Showroom owner Mohan Bajaj said the shop had additional stock due to the festive season and estimated the value of the stolen jewellery to be between Rs 12 crore and Rs 15 crore. Staff discovered the ransacked showroom when they arrived to open the premises on Thursday morning.
Katni Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhinav Vishwakarma said preliminary investigations suggest the burglary occurred between 4 am and 7 am. He stated that the thieves appeared to have studied the layout of the showroom in advance and targeted the safes and display counters.
Police suspect the operation was well-planned as the burglars bypassed the main entrance and shutters to drill through the wall. It is also suspected that the thieves may have tampered with the alarm system to make it dysfunctional after entering.
Investigators have seized CCTV footage from inside the showroom and are examining recordings from nearby roads and markets to trace the suspects' route. A forensic team and fingerprint experts have collected evidence from the damaged wall, safes, and counters.
While no arrests have been made, police have formed several teams to investigate the case. The exact value of the stolen items will be determined after an audit of the showroom's jewellery records.