Thieves steal $2.4m in jewellery from Delhi showroom

It is one of the biggest burglaries in India's capital. which routinely experiences a high level of crime

Diamonds, cash and gold, like that pictured here, was stolen from the showroom. Reuters

Police in New Delhi are searching for thieves who stole gold and diamonds worth about 200 million rupees ($2.4 million) from a jewellery shop after they bore a hole in the wall of the room where the items were being stored.

The burglary took place between Sunday evening and Monday morning but was only discovered on Tuesday when the owner opened the showroom, which is in Delhi’s Bhogal area, police said.

“When we opened the store, there was only dust everywhere,” Sanjeev Jain told local media.

The store owner said the burglars broke into the store from the terrace of the four-storey building.

They disconnected the surveillance cameras and drilled a hole through the wall to reach the strong room, which is located on the ground floor.

“We had closed the store on Sunday and opened today. All gold, diamond and silver jewellery and 500,000 rupees ($6000) in cash stolen were stolen,” Mr Jain said.

“We think they have looted everything. There was jewellery worth around 20 to 25 crores [200-250 million rupees].”

Local news channels showed images of the damaged store and the hole in the wall, located along the stairs leading to the strong room.

“It is a case of burglary. There are several CCTVs and we are investigating,” said Rajesh Deo, deputy commissioner of the Delhi Police.

“A police complaint has been registered. We are confirming the value of the stolen goods, but it looks to be huge.”

It is one of the biggest burglaries in a city that routinely experiences a high level of crime.

Delhi recorded about 49,000 cases of theft between January and October last year, according to police data. A little more than 10,500 cases were resolved,