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11.5kg gold, 5kg silver gone in ₹18-crore Bengaluru theft, domestic workers booked
A burglary in Bengaluru saw thieves steal nearly ₹18 crore in jewellery and cash from a businessman’s home.
Domestic workers allegedly made away with jewellery and cash worth nearly ₹18 crore after breaking into a residence in Bengaluru while the occupants were out, police said. The burglary took place at the home of a 28-year-old businessman, where multiple lockers were allegedly forced open and large quantities of gold, silver and valuables were stolen.
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According to investigators, the family had recently hired several domestic workers less than a month ago through an agency. These included a female cook, a male and female housekeeper each, and another staff member for sundry work, NDTV reported.
Police said the incident occurred on January 25. Around 9 am, the businessman, Shimanth S Arjun, left the house along with his mother Malini and wife Tanmayi to attend a function at a relative’s residence. His father was not at home, as he was travelling for work.
At around 12:38 pm, one of the female workers alerted the family over the phone, claiming that two others, and their accomplices , had broken open cupboards inside the house and fled. When the family rushed back, they found that lockers in different parts of the house had been tampered with.
Investigators said the locker located in a ground-floor bedroom appeared to have been pried open using an iron rod. Valuables stored inside were missing. Another locker on the first floor was also found broken into, the report said.
In his complaint to the police, Shimanth said jewellery weighing about 10 kg, including gold and diamond ornaments, had been stolen from the ground-floor locker. From the first-floor locker, the family reported the loss of around 1.5 kg of gold jewellery, 5 kg of silver ornaments and ₹11.5 lakh in cash.
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Overall, the family estimates that about 11.5 kg of gold and diamond jewellery and nearly 5 kg of silver were taken in the heist.
The complainant alleged that the theft was an inside job, claiming that the domestic staff had closely monitored the family’s routine and took advantage of the house being empty to carry out the burglary.
Police have registered a case against Dinesh (32), his wife Kamala (25), and others who are suspected to be involved. Efforts are underway to trace the accused and recover the stolen valuables, officials said.
