Thieves allegedly broke into a jewellery shop and an unoccupied house in Dhanagar village of Raigarh district, Chhattisgarh, and escaped with cash and gold and silver ornaments worth around ₹2.5 lakh.

The incident took place under the jurisdiction of Kotra Road police station. The family was away in Indore to drop their son at a hostel when the theft occurred.

Family Returned to Broken Locks

According to the complaint, 50-year-old Dileep Mandal, a resident of Dhanagar village, runs a jewellery shop named Maa Priya Jewellers.

Mandal had installed CCTV cameras at his house and shop on August 5. The following day, he travelled to Indore with his family to drop his son Sudeep at a hostel.

The family returned home on Tuesday and found that the locks of both the house and the shop had been broken.

On entering the premises, Mandal also found that the locker of a cupboard had been damaged.

Silver and Gold Ornaments Missing

According to the complaint, the thieves took around 2 kg of old silver jewellery, 2 kg of new silver jewellery and a 7-gram gold nose ring from the premises.

The thieves also allegedly took ₹40,000 in cash kept in the shop's cash drawer along with various items used for worship.

The total value of the stolen property has been estimated at approximately ₹2.5 lakh.

CCTV Footage Being Examined

Mandal checked the CCTV footage installed at the premises. The footage reportedly showed that the house and shop were secure until Monday.

After the theft was discovered, the family made inquiries in the surrounding area and attempted to trace the suspects on their own. When these efforts did not yield any information, Mandal approached the Kotra Road police station.

Police Register Case

Police have registered a case against an unidentified accused under Sections 305 and 331(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Investigators are examining the CCTV footage and gathering information from the surrounding area to identify the person or persons involved.

The police are also investigating whether the theft was carried out after the accused had monitored the family's movements or had prior information that the house and shop would remain unattended.

The investigation is ongoing.