Mumbai: A retired GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) employee, Ashok Shetty, on Monday reported a home burglary involving the theft of gold valuables and cash totalling more than Rs29 lakh. The incident took place while Shetty and his wife were visiting their home-town of Udupi, in Karnataka. The Byculla police are investigating the case. According to the police, the robbery is suspected to have occurred between September 11 and October 6.
Shetty, his 54-year-old wife and 28-year-old daughter have lived in their apartment on Matharpacady Road, Mazgaon, Byculla, for 17 years. Shetty retired from GSK in June this year. On September 11, the couple left for Udupi. When they returned on the evening of October 6, they discovered the lock on the main door broken. Upon entering, they found that all the lights and fans were on.
Instinctively, the couple checked the bedroom, where the valuables were kept. In his statement to the police, Shetty reported that all lockers were broken open and cupboard doors were ajar, with items – including clothes and bags – scattered on the floor. The drawer safe, which contained their valuables, was empty. Stolen items included gold chains, bangles, coins, earrings, diamond-studded rings, silver idols of Ganesha and Lakshmi, as well as cash exceeding Rs1 lakh, totalling Rs29,62,000.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 3), Krishnakant Upadhyay, told The Free Press Journal that multiple police teams have been assigned to investigate the case. The police have registered an FIR against unknown individuals on charges including house-breaking and theft, trespassing, and robbery under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
