MAPUSA
Silver idols worth about Rs 2.8 lakh were burgled from the Shri Jewellers shop at Braganza Hotel building in Mapusa.
The burglary is believed to have taken place sometime between 7.30 pm on Tuesday and 6 am on Wednesday, when burglars made a large hole in the wall and entered the shop.
The incident came to light on Wednesday at about 9.30 am when workers employed by the building owner arrived at the site and saw the hole in the wall and two jewellery trays lying outside.
They alerted the building owner and he notified Mapusa Police Inspector Tushar Lotlikar about the burglary.
The shop owner, Siddarth Sangodkar of Molebhat-Saligao, later reached the site and stated that 4 kgs of silver idols of different gods worth about Rs 2.8 lakh were stolen from his shop.
SP (North) Shobit Saxena, DySP Gajanan Prabhusesai and PI Tushar Lotlikar inspected the area, while fingerprint exerts and a police dog squad were also pressed into service.
Police checked CCTV footage from the jewellery shop as well as other shops and found out that the jewellery shop owner had turned the camera off while closing the shop, while a CCTV camera from a nearby mobile shop had also been turned off.
There was no clarity in the CCTV footage from the camera at the entrance of a hotel, while CCTV cameras on road at Gandhi Chowk and in front of Braganza hotel were switched off as well.
Police found out that the burglars had not touched the locker containing gold jewellery in the shop and police suspect that the burglars may have taken time to make the hole and only had time to escape with the silver idols.
An offence under Sections 457 and 380 IPC have been registered against unknown persons and PSI Sunil Patil is further investigating the case.
