Vinod M Jain
The Whitefield police have arrested a house burglary accused and recovered 348 grams of stolen gold ornaments worth Rs.55 lakh.
Senior officer told reporters that the complainant, a resident of Nagondanahalli within Whitefield police limits,had stepped out of the house on February 11 after locking the door and leaving the key in a shoe rack outside,reportedly for family members to access later.
Upon returning home in the evening,the family found the door open and discovered that gold ornaments weighing 348 grams had been stolen from a cupboard inside the house.
Based on the complaint,a case of house break-in and theft was registered at Whitefield police station. Investigators formed teams and began analysing CCTV footage from the area.
During the probe,police traced and detained a suspect near Varthur Kodi on February 13.The accused was identified as Kiran,a photographer by profession.
During interrogation,Kiran allegedly confessed that he had come to the building in search of a house for rent. While passing by,he noticed the house key kept in the shoe rack a common hiding spot and used it to unlock the door.
He then entered the house and decamped with the valuables. Police said he was in the process of disposing of the stolen ornaments when he was tracked down using CCTV footage.
Acting on his information, police recovered the entire 348 grams of gold ornaments from his residence.The total value of the recovered property is estimated at ₹55 lakh.
The accused was produced before a jurisdictional court on February 14 and remanded to judicial custody.
City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh advised residents not to leave house keys in “usual suspect” locations such as shoe racks or window ledges, warning that such practices make homes vulnerable to theft.
