Two men gatecrash wedding, flee with bride’s jewellery bag

Two unidentified men posing as guests fled with gold jewellery worth over Rs 18 lakh during a wedding function at a luxury hotel in Sector 35.

In a complaint to the police, Nikhil Sethi, a resident of Kurali, Punjab, stated that his sister Achla Sethi was getting married when a bag containing her gold and diamond ornaments, including a necklace, two bangles, two earrings and a ring, was stolen. The incident occurred between 12.25 am and 12.35 am on Friday during a ceremony at the outdoor lawn.

Sethi alleged that the theft took place due to “sheer negligence” on the part of the hotel’s security staff, who allowed unknown persons to enter the premises unchecked.

CCTV footage captured the entire act — one of the suspects can be seen talking on his phone as he exited the hotel, with a guard lifting a barricade to let him through. Moments later, his accomplice followed, concealing the purse beneath a coat draped over his shoulder.

A police team from the Sector 36 police station led by ASI Jaspal Singh reached the hotel around 5 am. Cops seized CCTV footage from multiple cameras and registered a case against the two unidentified suspects.

Special teams have been formed to trace the culprits, while hotel staff are being questioned to determine if internal assistance was involved. The police said the duo had roamed freely inside the hotel for nearly two-and-a-half hours before committing the theft.