JHARSUGUDA: In a major security breach at the Vedanta Township here, unidentified miscreants reportedly broke into the quarters of a senior company official and decamped with gold ornaments worth over Rs 12 lakh.
Police sources said the official was out of station for the past around four days. He returned to his quarters in the high-security township on Tuesday and found that gold jewellery worth over Rs 12 lakh was missing from his home. He subsequently lodged a complaint in Banjmal police station.
Acting on the complaint, police have registered a case and started investigation. With the incident being flagged as a sensitive case by the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), police expressed reluctance to share any information.
Jharsuguda SP GR Raghavendra confirmed the incident but refused to divulge any detail. “A burglary has been reported. An investigation has been launched into the incident,” he said.
Sources said Vedanta Township, considered to be one of the most secure residential zones in Jharsuguda, employs a private security agency responsible for monitoring entry and exit of every individual.
Visitors are required to present valid identification and a gate pass at the entry point. Despite such strict protocols, thieves reportedly managed to enter the premises and target the house of a senior official.
The incident has raised serious questions about the effectiveness of the township’s security system. Many residents expressed concern over the reliability of the private guards as the intruders managed to bypass multiple layers of security, enter the township, and execute the theft without detection. They demanded that the security officials including on-duty guards be brought under the purview of police probe.