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₹5 lakh stolen from shop near police checkpoint in Jagraon
According to police, the targeted shop, Raja and Company, deals in wedding and ceremonial items and is known for selling garlands made of new currency notes, due to which a substantial amount of cash is usually kept on the premises
Unidentified burglars decamped with nearly ₹5 lakh in cash from a shop in the busy Mandi Chowk area of Jagraon on Thursday night.
The incident has raised serious questions over security arrangements in what is considered a high-surveillance zone as the location is barely a stone’s throw from a police checkpoint.
According to police, the targeted shop, Raja and Company, deals in wedding and ceremonial items and is known for selling garlands made of new currency notes, due to which a substantial amount of cash is usually kept on the premises. According to preliminary information, the burglars gained entry from the rear by climbing onto the roof and breaking the latch of the staircase door. They then entered the shop and fled with bundles of currency notes and garlands made of cash, the police said.
Shop owner Raja said he discovered the theft when he opened the shop on Friday morning. “At first, I could not understand what had happened. After checking properly, I realised that thieves had broken into the shop and escaped with around ₹5 lakh in cash, including bundles of new notes and currency garlands,” he said.
Nearby shopkeepers also suspected that the burglars had accessed the premises through the rooftop. The wall near the staircase door was reportedly damaged and the lock broken to gain entry. Although CCTV cameras were installed inside the shop, no footage could be retrieved as the system was reportedly not functional due to lack of updates, police said.
Deputy superintendent of police Jaswinder Singh Dhindsa said, “Footprints found on the crime scene are being examined. Also, CCTV footage from nearby establishments are being examined o trace the accused. An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons.”
In a separate incident, three unidentified miscreants robbed a man and his son at knifepoint while they were returning home from a market area in Ludhiana, police said. The incident took place near a petrol pump on the Samrala Chowk–Basti Jodhewal road.
According to police, the complainant, Lekh Raj, a resident of Gurmeet Nagar on Daba Road, stated that he was travelling on his motorcycle with his son, Rohit Kumar, when the accused intercepted them near a Jio petrol pump. The assailants allegedly threatened the duo with sharp-edged weapons, forcibly snatched their motorcycle and a mobile phone and fled from the spot. Following the complaint, the Daresi police station registered a case against three unidentified persons. Investigating officer Sukhwinder Singh said police teams were scanning CCTV footage from the area to identify and arrest the accused.
