Unidentified persons allegedly stole 73 taps from the Congress office in Chhattisgarh’s Ambikapur, vandalised washrooms and left behind a handwritten “I Love Ambikapur” note, police said on Monday.
A case has been registered and an investigation is underway, officials said.
The theft took place at ‘Rajiv Bhavan’, the Congress office located near Ghadi Chowk in Ambikapur, the headquarters of Surguja district.
According to Congress leaders, this is the third theft reported at the party office in recent months.
The latest incident occurred on the intervening night of May 14 and 15, Surguja district Congress president Balkrishna Pathak said.
"The thieves entered the office premises from the rooftop and removed 73 taps installed in various washrooms. They also damaged several wash basins, commode flush systems and pipelines," he alleged.
In a video shared by the Opposition party, the words "I LOVE AMBIKAPUR" could be seen written by hand on the dusty floor of a washroom.
"Such audacity by the thieves, who even left a message on the floor, is a direct challenge to law and order and police," Pathak alleged, claiming that drug addicts and anti-social elements active in the city could be behind the incident.
The thieves also attempted to uproot a steel grill installed on the staircase, but failed to take it away and left it on the upper floor of the building, he claimed.
The incident came to light when the office caretaker opened the premises on May 15 morning and informed party leaders, following which a police complaint was lodged, he said.
The Congress leader claimed the theft caused losses of more than Rs 80,000. This was the third theft incident at the Congress office in recent times, Pathak said. The city's law and order situation was deteriorating, and night patrolling by police existed only on paper, he claimed.
"Not just common people, even offices of political parties are no longer safe," he said, alleging that police personnel were busy handling VIP protocol duties.
A police official said a case has been registered against unidentified persons on charges of house trespass and theft, and further investigation is underway.
No arrests have been made so far, he added.
(With inputs from PTI)