New Delhi: The flat of a joint director of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in north Delhi’s Timarpur was recently burgled, with cash, jewellery and valuables worth Rs 45 lakh to Rs 50 lakh missing.No one has been identified or arrested over the crime that took place inside a scientists’ hostel on the high-security residential campus of the ministry of defence agency. The campus reportedly deploys 24 private guards round the clock in three shifts. The complainant, a senior scientist, claimed that CCTV cameras near her flat were non-functional at the time of the burglary.The incident came to light on May 23 after a neighbour noticed that the back door of the flat of the scientist had been broken open. The neighbour made a video call to her, entered the flat and found her wooden almirahs were open and valuables missing.The missing items include Rs 15,000, 20 pounds and 50 dirhams in cash; gold necklaces, bangles, chains, rings and earrings; silver anklets and coins; and three high-end watches. “Even empty purses kept in my almirahs are gone,” the scientist told TOI, adding that many of the valuables were ancestral jewellery gifted by her mother-in-law.The DRDO staffer had left for Chandigarh on May 15 to spend her birthday with her husband and five-year-old daughter. Though she had been making the trip almost every weekend over the past two years, she decided to stay back a little longer this time after having to cut short her previous visit on Mother’s Day. Her daughter fell ill, giving her yet another reason to spend a few extra days with her.The scientist believes the burglars were aware of her frequent outstation trips. “Everyone on the campus, including security staff, knew about them. Whenever I called workers for maintenance, I would mention that I would not be available over the weekends,” she said, adding the house had possibly been recce’d and then targeted.The back door had allegedly been in disrepair for six to seven years, despite her repeated requests to fix it. “Carpenters visited my flat earlier, but it was not fixed,” she said, adding the wooden almirahs also needed repair.The scientist moved into the flat in 2008 and has been staying alone since 2024. “We kept the jewellery in the house, believing the campus was safe. Residents on the complex do not even latch their doors because they think it is a secure place,” she said, adding, “I can’t imagine what could have happened had I been at home. I suspect the burglars brought some chemicals with them.”A case was registered under Section 305 (theft in a dwelling house) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police said efforts are underway to identify, trace and nab the burglars.
