Khar apartment burgled, cash, jewellery worth Rs22 lakh stolen

Thieves broke into an apartment in Khar (W) and stole cash and gold jewellery worth over Rs22 lakh on Monday. The incident took place sometime between 11am and 8pm when the complainant and his wife were away.

The police said Sushil Kumar Achrekar, 70, a resident of Aradhana building situated on 19th Road, and his wife left the house in the morning. On their return in the evening, the couple found the flat burgled.

In his complaint to the police, Achrekar said they found the house ransacked and the cupboard open. Nearly Rs 2.5 lakh in cash and valuables worth Rs20 lakh were missing, he told the Khar police.

"The burglar entered the house after cutting an iron grille of the bedroom before making off with the valuables. There is no CCTV camera or watchman in the building. Neighbours said they did not see any suspicious person throughout the day," said assistant inspector Rajendra Tendulkar of the Khar police station.

Tendulkar said they have questioned all the domestic helps work at the building and those who visit the place regularly. He said, "We have also made inquiries with the watchmen of neighbouring buildings, but in vain."

"Our preliminary investigation reveals that some person known to the Achrekars is behind this incident. It appears he was keeping a close watch on them and he moved in soon after they left home," another officer said.