Delhi jewel heist: Cops in Bengal to trace missing employee
Delhi Police team sent to West Bengal to trace employee of Umrao Singh Jewellers who went on leave before a heist where ornaments worth ₹20-25 crore were stolen. Investigators have been unable to contact the employee and are unsure if he had any involvement in the theft. Police are questioning current and past employees, as well as verifying backgrounds of tenants in surrounding buildings.
A Delhi Police team reached West Bengal on Thursday to trace an employee of Umrao Singh Jewellers in Bhogal, where a group of burglars had, on Sunday night, pulled off a dramatic heist that went unnoticed for over 30 hours and made away with ornaments worth ₹20-25 crore, investigators aware of the matter said on Thursday.
The employee had gone on leave about a fortnight before the heist, said a police officer not authorised to speak to the media.
The officer said that investigators have been unable to reach the employee over the phone because of which a team was sent to his home. Police have details regarding his background but have not been able to contact him as yet, the officer said. However, whether that employee had anything to do with the theft would be known only once he is contacted.
The investigator clarified that the employee’s phone might have been unreachable because he hails from a rural area in West Bengal.
The probe so far has revealed that the burglars struck a little before midnight on Sunday by accessing the terrace from an adjoining building, opening a glass pane on the top floor to gain access, and then disabling the CCTVs and alarm systems before drilling a hole in the strong box located in the showroom on the ground floor to steal gold and diamond jewellery.
On Thursday, the police remained unclear about the exact number of people involved in the crime and when exactly the thieves left the showroom. The police are questioning the current and past employees of the showroom, those who provided other services there, as well as verifying the backgrounds of tenants in surrounding buildings.
