Rs 12 crore jewellery theft at Katni showroom: thieves spent an hour inside, tools found nearby

Thieves broke into the Kisna Jewellers showroom near LIC at Bargawan in Katni, Madhya Pradesh, and got away with gold and diamond jewellery worth about Rs 12 crore. CCTV footage of the break-in began circulating on social media on Friday. It shows the thieves stayed inside for roughly an hour.

The burglary came to light at about 11 am on Thursday, when showroom owner Mohan Bajaj raised the shutter and found goods strewn across the floor. The display counters and the safes had been emptied. Police say the crime took place between 4 am and 7 am on November 12.

The gang made a hole in the rear wall, about one-and-three-quarter feet across, and crawled through it. Bajaj said they had laid leaves beneath the broken stretch of wall so that their entry, and the movement of gas cylinders into the building, would make no sound. A gas cutter was then used to cut open the safe.

In the video, a masked man is seen walking in with a spanner and a screwdriver and working at locks and counters. A companion stayed outside and kept passing him tools. Police are going through the footage to identify both men.

Searching the area, officers recovered a gas cutter, a large oxygen cylinder, a domestic gas cylinder, empty water bottles, a screwdriver, a spanner and some clothes from Lal Pahadi, about 300 metres from the showroom. Police suspect the safe was cut with these items.

Bajaj said the shop was carrying more jewellery than usual because of Diwali. He added that the showroom opened in June this year and that all the stock was insured.

Superintendent of Police Abhinav Vishwakarma visited the spot and inspected the scene. Forensic experts and fingerprint teams collected evidence in the hope of finding the thieves' prints and other clues. Police have taken the footage from the cameras inside the showroom for technical analysis. They have also questioned security guard Bhagwat Tiwari.

Teams from Madhav Nagar police station and the crime branch are scanning footage from cameras on the main roads and in nearby areas to trace how the thieves arrived and left. Officers say several teams have been formed to track down what they describe as a gang of professional thieves. They claim all the accused will soon be in custody and the stolen jewellery recovered.