Jewellery worth ₹12 crore stolen from Madhya Pradesh showroom, thieves break in through wall: Police

Jewellery worth nearly ₹12 crore was stolen from a showroom in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni after thieves broke through a wall and forced open the safe and display counters in the early hours of Thursday, police said.

According to police officers, the incident came to light on Thursday morning when the staff reached the showroom and found the safe and display counters broken open.

Showroom owner Mohan Bajaj said that jewellery worth ₹12 crore to ₹15 crore was kept in the showroom. He said around ₹12 crore worth of jewellery was missing. Police, however, said that the exact value of the stolen jewellery will be clear after audit of the records.

Katni superintendent of police (SP) Abhinav Vishwakarma inspected the showroom and said preliminary investigation suggested the theft took place between 4 am and 7 am on November 12. The thieves made a hole in the wall to enter the showroom, indicating the crime was well-planned, he said.

“The thieves targeted the safe and the display counters. They appear to have studied the layout of the showroom in advance,” he added.

Police have seized the footage from the CCTV cameras installed inside the showroom. Recordings from cameras installed on nearby roads, in markets and at other key locations are also being examined to trace how the thieves arrived and the direction in which they escaped.

A forensic team and fingerprint experts have collected evidence from the spot, including samples from the broken wall, safe and counters.

Police have formed several teams to investigate the case. Jewellery records kept in the showroom are being thoroughly examined to find out the exact stock and the value of the missing items.

No arrests have been made so far, but police claim they have obtained some important leads.