Noida: Masked men allegedly stole jewellery worth nearly Rs 1.5 crore and around Rs 5 lakh in cash from two locked flats at The Crescent Apartments in Sector 50 while the families were away. The thefts came to light after neighbours called the residents and told them about the break-in. An FIR was registered at the Sector 49 police station on Tuesday.According to the complaint filed by one of the flat’s owners, Nitin Jain, he had gone to Panipat with his family on Oct 11 to attend an event. It ended late at night and the family decided to stay there. The following day, a neighbour called and informed him that the locks of his flat and his neighbour Dhanalakshmi’s flat had been broken.Jain returned and found his flat in disarray. One lakh rupees in cash and three necklaces, gold bangles, bracelets, earrings, rings and other jewellery had gone missing.Based on Jain’s complaint, police have filed a case under section 305(a) (theft in a dwelling house, or means of transportation or place of worship) of BNS.Dhanalakshmi also filed a complaint about the theft in her flat. She had gone out with her family and found the lock broken on returning. After a thorough check, she realised around Rs 4 lakh in cash and gold jewellery had gone missing.The complainants have estimated the combined value of the stolen valuables and cash at nearly Rs 1.5 crore. Police, however, said the exact value of the stolen property would be established during the investigation.During a preliminary investigation, police examined CCTV footage from the society and found that the suspects allegedly entered the campus by jumping over the boundary wall to escape the security guards. The footage is being scrutinised to establish their identities and trace their movements.The incident has also raised questions about the society’s security arrangements, including the monitoring of boundary walls and the effectiveness of security personnel deployed at the complex.Residents of sectors 50 and 51 have been on edge lately as they claimed that there have been nearly six thefts in the past three weeks. Apart from the thefts in two flats in Sector 50, two or three apartments were burgled in neighbouring Kendriya Vihar in Sector 51. A motorcycle was stolen about two weeks ago from F Block in Sector 50 and a pan shop was looted on Tuesday.TOI reported that the residents wrote to the police commissioner on Tuesday and asked for stronger policing in the area.
