IN A major theft incident, unidentified burglars sneaked into the house of a businessman and decamped with gold jewellery worth over Rs 17 lakh in Kumhari town of Durg. The thieves reportedly entered the house stealthily from the upper floor of an adjoining building during the wee hours. According to police sources, the complainant Bharat Bajaj, a resident of Ward No. 10, Shankarnagar, Kumhari, stated that on January 2, 2026, he had brought 11.9 tolas of gold ornaments, including six rings, from his uncle’s house in Kailashnagar, Kumhari.

 

The jewellery was meant for preparing bridal ornaments for his sister Harsha’s forthcoming wedding. Out of the total gold, 1.9 tolas along with one ring were taken to Navkar Jewellers in Raipur for making ornaments, while the remaining jewellery was handed over to his mother to be kept in the household almirah between 4:00 pm and 4:30 pm. The complainant returned home from Raipur around 10:00 pm the same night. Later, his younger brother Vinay Bajaj brought the newly made jewellery home at around 11:00 pm and handed it over to his sister for safekeeping.

 

The complainant further stated that his sister remained busy on a phone call till around 3:00 am and could not keep the jewellery inside the almirah, leaving it outside before going to sleep. On the morning of January 3, the complainant noticed that the almirah was open. While asking his mother to secure the jewellery at around 8:30 am, he also realized that his Apple iPhone 14 Pro was missing. Upon checking, he found that the gold jewellery brought from his uncle’s house had been stolen.

 

The stolen items included two gold biscuits weighing 50 grams each, five rings, two pairs of gold earrings and one mangalsutra. An empty bag was found inside the almirah, clearly indicating a theft. Speaking to the newspaper, the victim Bharat Bajaj said that the burglars appeared to have entered the house during the early morning hours, as climbing marks were noticed on the upper walls of the building. He added that a complaint has been lodged with Kumhari police, who have registered a case and initiated investigation into the matter.