KANNUR: Theft at the residence of a prominent rice wholesale merchant in Valapattanam has shocked the local community.
According to a complaint filed by Ashraf, a trader from Manna in Valapattanam, thieves made off with Rs 1 crore in cash and 300 sovereigns of gold while the family was away on a trip.
The family, which left for Madurai on November 19, discovered the theft upon returning home on Sunday. CCTV footage revealed that the burglars cut through the kitchen window grills and entered the house.
The thieves successfully located the key to the locker kept inside a bedroom closet, and used it to access the valuables.
The footage showed three persons scaling the boundary wall and entering the compound. Several cameras on the property were repositioned deliberately to avoid them from recording the crime.
Jabir, Ashraf’s brother-in-law, said he suspected involvement of people who knew the exact location of the locker in the crime. “The cupboard where the gold and money were kept had been locked and the key kept in a cupboard in another room, also locked. However, it is not possible to say whether people close to the family are behind the theft,” he said.
“The thieves went through all three bedrooms. They destroyed the cupboard where the locker’s key was kept. Nothing else was taken from the other rooms,” Jabir said. Rural SP Anuj Paliwal said the investigation into the theft is on.