Rs 7 cr gold ornaments stolen from Thane shop; hunt on for 2 culprits

Thane: Two unidentified persons allegedly stole 6.5 kg of gold ornaments valued at nearly Rs 7 crore from a jewellery shop in Maharashtra's Thane city, police said on Wednesday.??? The heist took place between 1.30 am and 4 am on Tuesday at the shop located near the Thane railway station, they said.

The thieves first broke a lock of the staircase door leading to the first floor of the establishment and then forced open the shop's shutter, granting them access to the jewellery displayed inside, the Naupada police said.

There was absence of conventional security measures within the store. Unlike standard practices where jewellers secure valuable ornaments in safes overnight, the valuables was openly displayed, making it easier for the thieves to complete the heist in a short span of time, an official said.

"This unusual lapse in security facilitated the robbers in the swift theft," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The Naupada police have registered a case under relevant provisions against the unidentified culprits.

Multiple investigation teams have been deployed to trace the culprits and recover the stolen gold.

The authorities were also examining CCTV footage of the area, questioning locals, and analysing forensic evidence to identify the perpetrators, the police said.

"Our teams are gathering evidence and pursuing all possible leads to resolve this sophisticated robbery," the official said.