Thieves executed one of Delhi’s most substantial thefts, making off with diamond and gold jewellery valued at approximately Rs 24-25 crore. The incident took place on the night between Sunday and Monday when three or four persons targeted a 75-year-old jewellery store, Umrao Singh Jewellers, located in Jangpura’s Bhogal in Southeast Delhi. The theft remained undiscovered until Tuesday since the market area is closed on Mondays.
According to information from the police, the criminals struck at around 11:45 pm. They likely accessed the store by crossing the adjoining buildings on either side, whose terraces were closely connected to the three-story shop. Their initial point of entry was the store’s terrace, where they forced open a wooden door that was merely latched from the inside. tThey used a cutter to disable the six CCTV cameras installed in the shop, as well as the WiFi and alarm systems, before proceeding to the ground floor.
The ground floor featured strongroom connected to the basement, which contained gold and jewelry valued at a minimum of Rs 24-25 crore, along with Rs 5 lakh in cash. This strongroom became their primary target, and they utilized a drill to create a square hole, just wide enough for one person to pass through. One of the thieves entered the room, gathered all the jewelry and cash into bags they had brought with them, and also collected bags from the shop. The entire heist took approximately three to four hours to complete.
The thieves then proceeded to steal gold and diamond ornaments displayed on the ground floor. While they investigated the other floors for valuable items, they primarily found inventory, documents, and raw materials. They then escaped using the same route through which they had entered and fled in a Bolero vehicle parked in a nearby lane in the market, according to the police.
Remarkably, the shop, which was established in 1948, did not employ a personal security guard. It was reported that the security guards in the area were on rounds elsewhere when the heist occurred. It’s estimated that the stolen items weighed approximately 30 kg and included at least 3,000 pieces of gold and diamond jewelry, encompassing necklaces, pendants, earrings, and raw gold bars.
Authorities suspect the involvement of an insider in the heist due to the knowledge displayed by the thieves regarding the shop’s layout and security systems.
