Ludhiana: Burglar strikes Ghumar Mandi mobile shop, owner puts loss at ₹35 lakh

Five men force open shutter and one enters store before others return 25 minutes later; owner alleges premium smartphones, ₹15,000 cash stolen

A burglar broke into a mobile shop in Ghumar Mandi in the early hours of Monday and fled with high-end smartphones and ₹15,000 in cash, police said. The owner has estimated the loss at around ₹35 lakh, the police added.

Police at the Ghumar Mandi shop, that was burgled, on Monday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

According to preliminary investigation, the burglar appeared to have targeted specific expensive brands, leaving other handsets and accessories untouched.

The theft came to light when owner Nagesh Khosla reached the shop on Monday morning and found the shutter damaged and the premises ransacked. He informed the police, who examined CCTV footage from cameras installed at the shop.

According to police, the footage showed five men, most of them wearing masks, arriving outside the shop.

According to Khosla, the suspects forced the shutter open slightly, allowing one of them to enter inside, while the others left the spot. About 25 minutes later, the burglar inside the showroom contacted his accomplices, who returned to the spot and the group fled with the stolen phones. The burglar also stole ₹15,000 in cash, Khosla alleged.

Inspector Amritpal Sharma, station house officer of (SHO) of Division Number 8 police station, said, “We are examining the CCTV footage to identify the suspects as the entire incident has been captured on the CCTVs installed inside and outside the store. The accused arrived on foot, but we suspect they may have parked a vehicle at some distance from the showroom. We are scanning footage from other establishments in the market to trace their movements and escape route.”

“The exact number of stolen smartphones are yet to be established as the showroom owner is checking the stock records. A case has been registered against unidentified persons. A probe is on to identify and nab the suspects.”