Three-member gang identified after ₹80–90 lakh burglary; accused allegedly broke through shop wall and used a slim accomplice to enter premises
LEH: Leh Police have cracked a major jewellery shop burglary in the heart of Leh, recovering jewellery worth around ₹70 lakh and approximately ₹4 lakh in cash, with two accused arrested, including a juvenile, while the third accused identified in connection with the crime is absconding.
Giving details during a media briefing, SSP Leh Fulzele Piyush Nirakar said the theft was reported on September 19 by Sunil Kumar, a resident of Rajasthan who runs a jewellery shop in Nawshara Gali in Leh Main Market.
According to SSP Leh, the burglars did not target the main entrance. Instead, they allegedly broke through a side wall, created a small opening and sent a physically slim accomplice through the hole to gain access to the shop. After entering, the accused allegedly stole jewellery and cash before taking away the shop’s CCTV Digital Video Recorder (DVR) to destroy evidence of the crime.
The police registered an FIR immediately and launched an intensive investigation. A dedicated team was constituted under the supervision of the concerned SHO and the leadership of ASP Headquarters, with a police team subsequently sent towards Kashmir after investigators developed significant leads.
The investigation resulted in the identification of three suspects. One of them, identified as Nisar, has been arrested and was present during the police briefing. Another accused, Imran, is absconding, while the third is a juvenile whose identity cannot be disclosed in accordance with law.
SSP Fulzele said all three suspects are residents of Pattan, Baramulla in Kashmir. Police further disclosed that Nisar had earlier spent two separate two-year periods in jail under the Public Safety Act (PSA) in Kashmir before his release.
Police estimate that jewellery and cash worth approximately ₹80–90 lakh had been stolen from the shop. So far, investigators have recovered around ₹70 lakh worth of jewellery and approximately ₹4 lakh in cash, taking the total recovery to nearly ₹74 lakh.
Police are continuing efforts to recover the remaining stolen property, with the absconding accused, Imran, being actively pursued. The SSP said further recovery is expected following his arrest.
The latest breakthrough could have wider implications for a number of unresolved burglary cases in Leh.
SSP Fulzele said police have received indications that the accused may also have been involved in previous theft cases, including burglary at a gompa. Investigators are examining their possible links with those incidents, and further action will follow as the investigation progresses. He said the arrest could help police work out several earlier cases in which investigators had been seeking leads.
The burglary has also brought renewed focus on the verification of workers, labourers and tenants coming to Leh from outside the region.
Responding to questions on the issue, SSP Fulzele said labour and tenant verification is already carried out through contractors and other channels, but police now intend to enforce the verification process more strictly.
He said contractors and tenants would be required to ensure compulsory verification so that police can establish the identity of workers and access their previous criminal records through established channels. With the working season nearing its end and a large number of labourers preparing to leave Ladakh, police have intensified surveillance at major exit points.
SSP Fulzele said CRPF personnel have been deployed at Upshi and Phyang, where vehicles leaving Leh are being subjected to thorough checking.
The checking is aimed at ensuring that stolen property, including articles potentially taken from religious institutions, is not carried out of Ladakh. The police are simultaneously conducting checks from the narcotics-control perspective to prevent drugs from being transported out of or into the region.
Police are also preparing to expand the CCTV network beyond Leh city. SSP Fulzele said CCTV cameras installed by the police and administration in Leh had proved useful in investigations. The department is now reaching out to village representatives and Nambardars to encourage communities to install cameras around important monasteries, stupas, religious structures and other vulnerable locations.
Police are planning meetings with representatives of different villages in the coming weeks as part of a broader community-policing initiative, urging residents to install surveillance cameras at strategic locations and around their homes.
On the anti-narcotics front, SSP Fulzele said sniffer dogs are already available with the police and will be attached through proper channels to the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF). The dogs will be deployed during ANTF operations wherever suspicious activity is detected. Police have also been conducting periodic checks at Meena Marg and Sarchu, with further checks planned at Upshi and Phyang.
The Leh Police said the latest operation reflects a broader effort to strengthen surveillance, prevent the movement of stolen property out of Ladakh, identify repeat offenders and tighten security through investigation, verification, CCTV surveillance and community policing.
