A 32-year-old man allegedly smashed through the wall of his own shop to break into a neighbouring store and steal firecrackers worth Rs 11.23 lakh in Gujarat.
A 32-year-old man allegedly smashed through the wall of his own shop to break into a neighbouring store and steal firecrackers worth Rs 11.23 lakh in Gujarat. The adjoining shop had already been sealed by the police, with its entire stock of firecrackers seized over alleged safety violations.
The accused, identified as Pankaj Rana, a resident of Dholka, allegedly pulled off the theft at Shriram Market in Dholka by creating an opening in the common wall between the two shops. He reportedly used the hole to transfer cartons of firecrackers into his own shop before carefully covering it up with bricks and cement to conceal the crime.
According to the police complaint, officers had earlier seized nearly 400 cartons of firecrackers belonging to different brands, collectively valued at Rs 13.23 lakh, from Shop F/A-2. The seizure was made in connection with a case registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Explosives Act over alleged safety violations. The stock was left inside the premises, which were subsequently sealed by the police.
Rana had allegedly rented the adjoining Shop F/A-3 barely a month before the theft. On the day of the incident, he reportedly arrived at his shop around 8 pm, picked up a hammer and broke through the shared wall to gain access to the sealed premises. He then allegedly shifted the firecrackers into his own shop and returned the following day to repair the damaged section using bricks and cement.
The accused is also suspected of selling the stolen firecrackers after successfully removing them from the sealed shop.
The theft went undetected for nearly a fortnight, until police received information about the missing stock. A head constable reportedly received a specific tip-off that helped investigators crack the case.
During questioning at the Sindhi Gate police outpost, Rana allegedly confessed to stealing the firecrackers. Following the disclosure, police informed the court about the theft of the seized property and subsequently inspected the premises.
During the inspection, officers discovered that cartons containing 387 boxes of firecrackers, worth approximately Rs 11.23 lakh, had gone missing. Loose and unusable firecrackers valued at another Rs 2 lakh were also recovered and seized as part of the investigation.
A fresh case has now been registered against Rana under relevant BNS provisions relating to theft and house-breaking.