A social media post showing a lavish birthday gift may have landed a Kolkata businessman’s family on the radar of burglars.
A social media post showing a lavish birthday gift may have landed a Kolkata businessman’s family on the radar of burglars. Hours after a homemaker shared pictures of a Rs 5-lakh necklace gifted by her businessman husband on her birthday, three burglars allegedly broke into their Garia residence on Saturday night and escaped with cash, jewellery and three bottles of expensive imported liquor worth a staggering Rs 9 lakh.
Interestingly, the necklace that featured in the woman’s social media post was not inside the house when the burglary took place. Neither were the couple nor their 10-year-old son.
CCTV footage from the family’s Fartabad residence, named ‘Chandana’, captured three well-dressed burglars, sporting smartwatches, ransacking the house. In an attempt to destroy evidence, the men reportedly opened the refrigerator, took out the leftover birthday cake and smeared it across the CCTV camera lenses to obstruct surveillance.
Police at Narendrapur police station suspect the family may have been targeted after the woman flaunted the expensive necklace on Instagram and other social media platforms.
“The necklace is worth Rs 5 lakh,” an officer said.
Baruipur police superintendent Arvind Kumar Anand cautioned people against revealing too much about their personal lives online, warning that such posts could inadvertently help criminals identify potential targets.
“People should be cautious about what they post on social media. Personal moments on social media can alert criminals,” Baruipur police superintendent Arvind Kumar Anand said. “We have got leads and are hoping for a breakthrough soon.”
No arrests have been made so far.
Prithviraj Roy, who left his job abroad to establish a business in Kolkata, said the burglars gained entry by cutting through the grille of a rear window. The entire operation reportedly lasted around 50 minutes, beginning at approximately 8 pm.
“They vandalised the house, not sparing even my son’s telescope. I believe the accused knew exactly where the switches and cameras were located. This was the third such incident in our locality since 2025. We were robbed even though every corner of our house is under CCTV surveillance. I told police that it’s OK if I don’t get the stolen items back, but they must ensure our safety,” Roy said.
The CCTV footage further shows the burglars pulling belongings out of cupboards, tossing household items around and turning furniture upside down. At one point, they are also seen closely inspecting Radha-Krishna idols, seemingly checking whether they were made of precious metals.
After noticing the surveillance cameras, one of the accused covered his face with a black cloth, while another used a dupatta belonging to the businessman’s wife to conceal his identity.
In his FIR, Roy stated that the gang escaped with cash, three bottles of expensive imported liquor, a pair of gold-covered shakha bangles and other jewellery. The stolen valuables have been estimated to be worth Rs 9 lakh.
However, Roy denied claims that he had personally publicised the expensive birthday gift on social media.
“Yes, we celebrated my wife’s birthday on Oct 28 and I gave her a gift, but I made no social media post about it. Those claiming otherwise are not linked to me,” Roy said.