Blackout gives cover to thieves; 4 shops burgled in Sirsa village

A blackout on Wednesday night proved to be the perfect opportunity for thieves in Bappan village, located in Sirsa district. Taking advantage of the darkness, the thieves broke into four shops and stole cash worth several thousand rupees. The thefts were discovered the next morning when the shopkeepers opened their stores and found the locks broken. The police and a fingerprint expert team from the Baragudha police station reached the scene for investigation. CCTV cameras installed at the shops captured footage of the incidents.

The first theft took place at a bakery shop located on the Mallewala-Budhabhana road. Around 2.20 am, the thieves used an iron rod to break the lock and entered the bakery. They stole nearly Rs 4,000 from the cash drawer. Shop owner Suraj said he had shut the shop around 7.30 pm due to the blackout. The next morning, his son Akash found the thieves had broken into shop. According to Suraj, the thieves entered through a path from nearby fields.

Next, the thieves targeted an SBI Customer Service Centre, located near the bakery. At around 2.34 am, they again broke the lock using an iron rod. Inside, they searched for cash, scattered items and broke open the drawer, stealing Rs 5,000. The centre’s operator, Lalit Kumar, said he closed the shop around 9 pm and had taken Rs 2.5 lakh home, so only a small amount was left in the drawer. The CCTV footage shows three masked thieves who completed the theft in just 3.5 minutes.

The third burglary took place at Bansal Medicos, a nearby medical store. At 3.15 am, the thieves broke in and took Rs 800 from the drawer. The shop owner, Sonu from Jheedi village, said he found the shutter open and the lock broken when he arrived at 6.15 am. CCTV footage also shows three masked men committing the crime.

At 3.30 am, the thieves attempted a fourth break-in at Sukhija Machinery Store. Although they managed to break the outer lock, they couldn’t enter because the inside door was securely locked. Owner Praveen Sukhija said the thieves tried to break in three times, all of which were recorded on CCTV.

The police are investigating the case. Based on the footage, three young men are suspected and the officials believe they may be drug addicts.