Hyderabad: In one of the biggest heists in recent times, 30 kg gold ornaments and diamonds worth Rs 23 crore was stolen from the Tanishq jewellery outlet at Panjagutta early on Saturday.
The burglars entered the outlet through a rectangular hole drilled into the rear wall of the building. The gold ornaments were stolen from the safes and showcases on the ground floor of the store. A gang had used a similar method to rob Joy Alukkas jewellery store, also in Panjagutta, in May 2006. That gang was caught in Mumbai months later as they tried to sell the loot.
CCTV footage from the shop showed only one person appearing to walk with a limp breaking open the showcases. It is suspected that he exited from the same hole in the wall. The man was wearing socks, but no gloves, but the Clues team said it had not collected any fingerprints.
Police officials said the outlet has burglar alarms, but they did not go off. The shop was closed after 10.30 pm and cops suspects the crime occurred between 2 am and 4 am.
Next: Did insiders help in Tanishq burglary?
Did insiders help in Tanishq burglary?
Hyderabad: Did insiders help or were directly involved in the Tanishq heist? Preliminary investigation by the police points at the possibility of help provided by insiders in the burglary. Experts believe that the ‘perfect action’ carried out by the burglars is very difficult without the help of an insider. Senior police officials have confirmed that all the employees will be questioned.
According to Tanishq management, there were two security personnel guarding the jewellery at the shop. Investigation officials are examining why they did not hear any sound when the burglars were drilling.
“In order to reach the backside of the wall, there are three possible entries. If the offenders take the first, the security guards can see them. The other entry is too risky for burglary without a ladder. One needs to scale down the boundary wall, which would attract attention,” said police officials.
The two security guards, staff of Security and Intelligence Services, are natives of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and have been working at Tanishq for the last two years, a security supervisor of SIS said.
Officials said that the burglars had not broken the showcases to collect the ornaments. They were able to open the safe. The police is wondering whether the burglars had the keys to the showcases, or whether they were kept open by insiders.
Police is also probing the entry and exit points of the burglars. Investigation officials have confirmed that the entry point of the burglars was the rectangular hole made on the rear wall. Sources said that earlier, at the same spot where the hole was made, there was a window which was closed with bricks. In 2007, it was renovated. The burglars drilled at the exact place, which, without info-rmation from an insider, could have been difficult.
Officials said that in the CCTV footage, the man was seen walking straight towards the switch board and he switched on the lights after entering the shop. The sniffer dog ran out through the main entrance to the parking lot located behind the building, which indicated that the offenders must have come in a vehicle and parked it there, an official said.
Next: 10 teams formed to track down burglars
10 teams formed to track down burglars
Hyderabad: The heist at Tanishq jewellery outlet in Panjagutta came to light only on Saturday morning, when the staff opened the store.
Police said two security guards were posted in front of the showroom at the time of the heist. Both of them are being questioned by the police.
The Tanishq management said 18 kg plain gold ornaments worth Rs 11 crore, 12 kg of precious stones and kundan jewellery have been stolen.
Tanishq is located at a stone’s throw away from the Panjagutta police station. Because of its proximity to the police station, the police did not have the system of signing the roster to mark patrolling at the store. The city police has formed 10 special teams to track down the burglars.
“The theft was discovered by the salesmen who opened the showroom after 10 am. They immediately informed the Panjagutta police,” a police officer said.
“The burglars made a 2-feet by 1.5-feet hole in the wall using drills or a similar machine. There was a thin layer of wood inside the wall, which was also cut away,” an investigation official said. Police suspects that two or more accomplices were stationed outside to help carry the loot.
Hyderabad police commissioner Anurag Sharma said, “We have accessed the CCTV footage from the store. The footage shows one person entering the shop and taking away the ornaments.”
There are more than five CCTV cameras inside the shop. Cops have collected hour-long footages.
“The offenders appear to have studied every detail of the building,” West Zone DCP Satyanarayana said. Officials said the case will be investigated by Central Crime Station in collaboration with the West Zone police.
Next: Burglary brought to light security lapses
Burglary brought to light security lapses
Hyderabad: The Tanishq showroom is on the bustling Somajiguda-Panjagutta ‘Gold Street’ where many jewellery shops are located.
The burglary on Saturday brought to light the security lapses in the area. The incident proves that if burglars can strike a big store like Tanishq, then they can do so with any other jewellery shop in the area.
Officials said that not even a single CCTV camera was installed outside Tanishq. Neither was the shop’s alarm system, which is supposed to go off when there is a burglary attempt, working at the time of incident.
Behind the Tanishq building is Amrita building complex, a commercial-domestic complex which does not have even one security guard.
One major factor which favoured the burglars is the parking between Amrita Complex and Tanishq building. As there is no security guard, the offenders could easily park their vehicle and carry out the loot without being noticed by anybody.
Though the building is near a police station, police patrolling is not enough to keep the burglars away. Police officials claim to keep a close watch on the gold street. The burglary, however, proved them wrong.
Higher officials said that there are no beat cops looking after the jewellery shops since they are not far away from the police station. The Tanishq showroom was also not maintaining the beat book for the patrolling cops to sign .
