A high-stakes burglary at the residence of a well-known businessman in Raj Nagar has shocked the city. Thieves made away with diamond-studded jewellery, 2.4 kg of gold and Rs 65 lakh in cash, collectivelly worth Rs 3 crore from the bungalow of petrol pump owner Baljinder Singh Inderjit Singh Nayyar (56). Sadar Police have registered a case and launched an intensive investigation, but the accused is yet to be traced. According to the complaint, Baljinder Nayyar lives in a joint family bungalow at Shirke Layout, Raj Nagar, along with his brother Gurinder Singh and other family members. The Nayyar family runs two petrol pumps in the city and also works as distributors for Hindustan Unilever products. Police said the burglary took place late Monday night when the entire family was away attending the engagement ceremony of Baljinder’s younger son. The function was held at a farmhouse in Kalmeshwar area. “All family members left the house in the evening and returned around 3 am.

 

That window of time was used by the burglar,” said a senior police officer. Investigators revealed that the thief entered the bungalow from the rear side, near the kitchen. “The accused broke open the grill of a kitchen window and gained entry. His face was covered with a scarf,” said Sadar Police Station in-charge Amol Deshmukh. “He appears to have moved very confidently inside the house.” Once inside, the burglar headed straight to the room of Baljinder’s mother, where a safe was kept. From there, he allegedly stole diamond-studded jewellery, gold necklaces, bracelets, earrings and gold coins, weighing around 2.4 kg. “What is worrying is that the accused knew exactly where the key to the safe was kept,” Deshmukh said. “This strongly suggests prior knowledge of the house layout.”

 

The thief then entered Gurinder Singh’s room and stole Rs 65 lakh in cash, which police say was the three-day collection from the family’s petrol pumps. After committing the theft, the accused escaped through the same route from which he had entered. When the family returned home in the early hours of Tuesday, they immediately noticed signs of a break-in and informed the police. Addl CP Crime Vasant Pardeshi, DCP Zone I Nityanand Jha and DCP Detection Rahul Maknikar inspected the bungalow and reviewed preliminary findings. “The manner in which the crime was executed points towards a tip-off or detailed reconnaissance,” said a senior crime branch official. “The accused avoided doors fitted with sensor locks and did not waste time searching.

 

He went directly to specific rooms.” Police also revealed that CCTV cameras were installed in the house. “The burglar first covered one of the CCTV cameras with a cloth and then changed its direction,” an officer said. “This again indicates that he knew about the surveillance system.” The fingerprint bureau, forensic team, dog squad and income tax officials were called in to assist the investigation. While the dog squad could not provide leads, fingerprint samples collected from the spot are being matched with records of known professional burglars. A case has been registered.