A retired IPS officer's house was burgled in HSR Layout while he and his family were out on a vacation earlier this week.

Thieves broke into the former IGP-ranked officer M V Murthy's house between Monday and Thursday and made away with gold and other valuables, the police suspect. His house, in Sector 4 near the BDA Complex, did not have CCTV cameras or guards, the police said.

Murthy and his family had gone to his native place Mulbagal on Monday morning and returned on Thursday to find a window of his house broken open. The burglars had cut the grills. The police suspect the thieves could have noticed that the newspapers at the doorstep had not been picked up for several days and concluded that there was no one in the house and burgled it.

Murthy has lodged a complaint with the HSR Layout police, who are analysing CCTV footage from surrounding areas to identify the burglars.

Murthy had served the Karnataka police till 2008 when he decided to opt for VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme) five months before his retirement.