Khagaria SP kin’s house in Purnia burgled

PATNA: Unidentified miscreants broke open the locks of the residence of a 2010-batch IPS officer Meenu Kumari in Purnia district and took away cash and jewellery worth lakhs of rupees on Monday afternoon. Meenu is at present posted as SP of neighbouring Khagaria district.
On being informed by the caretaker Santosh Kumar Jha, Meenu rushed to her ‘sasural’ (in-laws house) near Dollar House Chowk on busy Chuna Road and inquired about the incident.The articles were scattered all around in the room and the almirah was open.
Meenu called on Purnia SP Vishal Sharma and asked the SHO of Madhubani police outpost to ascertain the identity of the thieves and recover the stolen valuables. “The value of jewellery and other valuables taken away by the miscreants in the incident is yet to be ascertained,” she told reporters in Purnia.
She said that her in-laws were away from the house for the last three months and Santosh Kumar Jha was assigned to take care of the belongings in their absence. “He called me on my phone on Monday noon and informed about the theft in the house. I rushed to the spot in the evening,” the 2010 batch IPS officer said.
Santosh told police that the incident took place around 3 pm when he had gone to have refreshment and a cup of tea at Dollar House Chowk. When he returned after half-an-hour, he found the locks of the house broken from behind and the doors open. “When I entered the room, clothes and other valuables were scattered on the bed and the floor,” an investigating officer quoted the caretaker as saying.
The Purnia SP said that sniffer dog was pressed into service to get some clues about the theft but to no avail. “A special investigation team (SIT) headed by Sadar DSP Anand Kumar Pandey has been set up to crack the case at the earliest. A complaint has been lodged with the Madhubani police outpost on the statement of the caretaker Jha,” Sharma added.
DSP Pandey said on Tuesday, “We are still clueless in the case. Raids are on to nab the criminals.”
Locals, on the other hand, alleged that the incidents of house robbery and theft have increased alarmingly in the district, especially in rural pockets, in recent past. “Even senior police officers are not being spared” said 30-year-old Vineet Kumar, a resident of Gulabbagh locality in Purnia town.