The robbery was done by drilling the back wall of the showroom, which had been covered with bushes and weeds. The crime came to light when the owner of the jewellery store came to open the shop on Friday morning.
According to the police, the robbers entered the jewellery showroom in Thrissur by drilling through the wall with a drill that was two meters in width. They also sprinkled chilli powder inside the store in a move suspected to destroy evidence.
Although several films have popularised this trick, experts say that while the chilli could distract sniffer dogs initially, it will not get rid of the human scent.
The shop was open till 10 pm on Thursday. The gold that was stolen had been kept in the locker of the jewellery.
“The robbery must have taken place between Thursday night and Friday morning. As per the assessment, gold worth Rs 1.5 has been stolen. The owner alerted us when he came to open the shop in the morning," a police officer at the Kaypamangalam police station told TNM.
The investigation into the crime is being led by Irangalakkuda Deputy Superintendent of Police Famous Varghese.
He told TNM that the shop was functioning post the partial lifting of the lockdown, although the sales had been low due to the pandemic situation. “But the owner hasn’t maintained any stock register for the past six months,” he said.
A dog squad and fingerprint experts were also at the spot of the robbery and began examination.