Burglars loot ` 6.5 crore in a jewellery shop heist

In one of the biggest heists reported in the region, burglars made away with around 25 kgs of jewellery worth Rs 6.25 crore from Sri Nidhi Gold Showroom, on late Thursday night.

Cash worth Rs five lakh was also stolen during the heist.

The incident came to light when Jagannath Shetty, the proprietor opened the showroom on Friday.

The burglars dug a hole through the concrete wall to gain entry into the store, and used gas welders to loot the lockers where the ornaments were kept.

Police personnel who visited the showroom suspect that persons with complete knowledge of the store might have been behind the heist.

The burglars made use of the narrow passage between the showroom and Mandya City Co-operative Bank to dig a hole.

According to the Police, they entered the showroom from behind and scaled a ten foot long wall to gain access to the narrow passageway.

They used a jack to dig a hole into the concrete wall and welded through the metal plate used to secure the wall.

The burglars, as soon as they entered the showroom disconnected the CCTV connection, before using gas welders to cut through the lockers, removing 25 kgs of golden ornaments and Rs five lakh cash.

The burglars however did not take away silver and other smaller ornaments. Even though golden coins were filled in a bag, they have abandoned the same.

The thieves have also discarded the LPG cylinder, two gas welding cylinders and other equipments used in the heist.

Policemen have suspected that a gang of four to five persons must be behind the heist, after preliminary investigation.

They have also suspected that they might have dug the hole through the wall over a period of two to three days.

Police have also found cigarette butts and gutka packets near the place, where the hole was dug.

Dog squad and fingerprint experts have also collected evidence from the scene of crime.
Adjacent to the showroom there are two ATMs guarded by two watchmen.

It is also along the Bangalore-Mysore highway which has a regular flow of traffic.

Yet, the burglars succeeded in their burglary bid, without raising suspicion among the guards.

Superintendent of Police, Bhushan Borase said that the department was collecting information about the exact worth of the stolen ornaments.

Four teams have been formed to nab the culprits, he added.