Kolkata: Hours after a homemaker posted on social media about a Rs 5-lakh necklace her businessman husband had gifted her on her birthday, robbers broke into the couple’s Garia home on Saturday night and made off with cash, jewellery and three bottles of imported liquor, together worth Rs 9 lakh.The necklace was not in the house at the time of the break-in. Neither were the couple and their 10-year-old son.Footage from CCTV cameras in the Fartabad house — named ‘Chandana’ — shows the three burglars, well-dressed and wearing smartwatches, opening the refrigerator and using the leftover birthday cake to smear the camera lenses to cover their tracks.Officers at Narendrapur police station suspect the family became a target after the woman posted her picture with the necklace on Instagram and other platforms. “The necklace is worth Rs 5 lakh,” an officer said.“People should be cautious about what they post on social media. Personal moments on social media can alert criminals,” Baruipur police superintendent Arvind Kumar Anand said. “We have got leads and are hoping for a breakthrough soon.” No one has been arrested yet.Prithviraj Roy, who gave up a foreign job to set up a business in Kolkata, said the gang broke into his home after cutting through the grille of a window at the rear. The whole operation lasted 50 minutes from around 8 pm.“They vandalised the house, not sparing even my son’s telescope. I believe the accused knew exactly where the switches and cameras were located. This was the third such incident in our locality since 2025. We were robbed even though every corner of our house is under CCTV surveillance. I told police that it’s OK if I don’t get the stolen items back, but they must ensure our safety,” Roy said.The CCTV footage shows the gang pulling household items out of cupboards and turning furniture upside down. The burglars are also seen examining Radha-Krishna idols, possibly to check whether they were made of any precious metal.After spotting the surveillance cameras, one of the men wrapped his face in a black cloth and another with a dupatta belonging to the businessman’s wife.Roy mentioned in his FIR that the gang fled with cash, three bottles of expensive imported liquor, a pair of gold-covered shakha bangles and other jewellery, together worth Rs 9 lakh.“Yes, we celebrated my wife’s birthday on Oct 28 and I gave her a gift, but I made no social media post about it. Those claiming otherwise are not linked to me,” Roy said.(Written with inputs from Dwaipayan Ghosh in Kolkata)
