Ludhiana: Burglars steal teaching aids from govt school during summer break

The theft has deprived the school of essential classroom teaching aids, Kaur said, adding that there is no provision for the immediate replacement of stolen equipment and fresh purchases can only be made after the education department releases the next grant

Government High School, Kakowal, suffered a loss of nearly ₹3 lakh after burglars targeted the campus during the summer vacation, stealing computers, projectors and other teaching equipment and allegedly damaging all eight CCTV cameras.

The theft is believed to have taken place between June 1 and June 30 and came to light after the school reopened. (HT FILE)

The theft is believed to have taken place between June 1 and June 30 and came to light after the school reopened. Acting on a complaint by headteacher Jasminder Kaur, Jodhewal police registered an FIR on July 29 and began an investigation.

According to the complaint, the stolen items include three projectors, five CPUs, six keyboards, six computer mice, six speakers and six remote controls. Kaur said the school, which has an enrolment of more than 940 students, is equipped with eight CCTV cameras. However, the burglars allegedly damaged all of them before carrying out the theft, rendering the surveillance system completely non-functional.

School staff visit the campus periodically during vacations for administrative work, but no one had been there for four to five days before July 1, she said. While the school has a security guard and a campus manager during the academic session, neither is deployed during the summer break.

The theft has deprived the school of essential classroom teaching aids, Kaur said, adding that there is no provision for the immediate replacement of stolen equipment and fresh purchases can only be made after the education department releases the next grant.

Police said further investigation is underway.