Thieves enter retired employee's home in Anuppur's Barbaspur, take Rs 50,000 and jewellery

Thieves targeted the house of a retired employee in Barbaspur village of Anuppur district late on Thursday night. They got in by removing a window grille and took away about Rs 50,000 in cash and jewellery kept in a cupboard. Three German Shepherd dogs were also in the house.

SDOP Sujeet Kumar said the house belongs to Omkar Singh Thakur. His grandson got up around 2 am to go to the washroom. He then noticed some people on the roof of the store room on the other side of the courtyard. He immediately told the family. Neighbours were then gathered and the police were informed on Dial 112.

A search of the house found the grille of a window in a room facing the courtyard removed. The thieves are believed to have entered through this window. The jewellery and about Rs 50,000 were found missing from the cupboard in the same room, which was used when guests came.

Omkar Singh Thakur retired from the Amarkantak Thermal Power Station, Chachai. He lives in the house with his wife and their 20-year-old grandson. His son has died, while both his daughters live at their in-laws' homes. According to the family, they went to sleep around 12 am.

Behind the house is a wall about 10 to 12 feet high, with an open field on the other side. It is suspected that the thieves climbed over the wall from the rear.

The police reached the spot on Friday morning and investigated. A dog squad and a fingerprint team also collected evidence. The police are going through CCTV footage from a petrol pump across the main road and from nearby houses. No suspect has been identified so far.

The police have asked the family for a list of the stolen jewellery and other items. The total loss has not become clear in the initial inquiry. The police are investigating the case.