Mysuru: Burglars seem to have found a new way to rob valuables — watch out for houses with open windows and commit the crime. Though thefts through open windows have occurred in city in the past, the trend is bound to catch up with thieves striking it rich like this burglar who made away with gold and cash worth more than Rs. 5 lakh kept in a vanity bag.

A family in Bannimantap became an easy target for the burglar and the open window on the first floor of the house was his inviting target. The burglar’s theft-act under the cover of darkness has been captured in the CCTV cameras installed at the house.

Visuals show the thief removing his slippers to avoid making sound and climbing the staircase to the first floor to commit the theft. The footage also shows him coming down the staircase in a hurry after the theft and leaving behind his slippers before escaping into the dark.  

The theft took place on the night of Nov. 6 at the house of Mohammad Rumman Khan at House No. MH 8, 4th Main, 4th Cross, C Layout, Bannimantap in city. Rumman works at a media house in Bengaluru and he has lodged a complaint at Narasimharaja Police Station.

In his complaint, Rumman Khan has said that he lives at H.B.R. Layout in Bengaluru due to professional reasons and he comes to his mother’s place at Bannimantap every week. His brother Salauddin Khan and his family stayed at the house.

He said that he came to Mysuru along with his family on Nov. 3 and on Nov. 6, he had been along with his wife to his grandmother’s place to attend a function. “We came back to our mother’s house at Bannimantap at 12.45 am and retired for the day on the first floor. The next day (Nov. 7) when we were getting ready to leave for Bengaluru, my wife, while packing clothes, discovered that her valuables were missing from the vanity bag that was kept on an open suitcase under the window,” he stated in the complaint.

Rumman’s family discovered that gold ornaments weighing 120 grams and cash of Rs. 15,000 were missing from the vanity bag. The total value is estimated to be Rs. 4 lakh. On closer search, the family discovered that some more gold ornaments were missing from the bag and the value is estimated to be Rs. 5 lakh as the total weight of gold stolen is 160 grams.

When the family later scanned the CCTV footage, they saw a burglar entering the house complex at 12.02 am on Nov. 7. The visuals showed the burglar climbing the stairs after removing his slippers and kneeling down before the window to steal valuables. The thief carried a plastic pipe that is attached with sharp metal wires  at one end so that it can pick up objects.

Though it was a window that had narrow grills, the burglar managed to take away the cash and jewellery. However, he abandoned ATM cards near the window. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) Dr, Vikram V. Amathe, and Narasimharaja ACP C. Gopal visited the spot.

The Police have launched a manhunt to nab the burglar based on the CCTV footages.