Thieves break Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development office locker, steal Rs 1.24 crore

DHARWAD: Theives decamped with Rs 1.24 crore in cash after breaking into four lockers at the Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development office at Rayapur Layout in the district.

The thieves gained entry by breaking a window of the office toilet while the security guards were out for lunch. There were no CCTV cameras installed, giving rise to many doubts.

The money collected every day under the Dharmasthala Rural Development Project from all over the district is deposited in the bank the same day. But, on Tuesday, the money was not deposited in the bank due to the string of holidays and was kept in the office locker. It is suspected that an insider with knowledge about this may be involved in the theft.

The police have launched a manhunt for the thieves who are still at large. With no clues so far, the police investigation is proving to be a challenged and the Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner is himself leading the hunt for the thieves.