Thieves decamp with 1,547 pairs of jeans from new cleaning centre in Gurugram

Six unidentified men stole 1,547 pairs of jeans from a newly established cleaning centre at Bhim Colony in Bajghera last Wednesday, police said on Tuesday, adding they suspect that someone from the area or linked to the cleaning centre might be involved in the theft.

According to police, the centre specialises in washing and cleaning denim apparel before they are sent to the market by manufacturing firms. A Delhi-based firm had sent the cleaning centre a consignment of 2,000 pairs of jeans 10 days ago.

Police said the incident took place between 1am and 2am on September 21 and no one has been arrested in connection with the case yet. Unidentified men reached the centre in a car and a pickup truck and spent at least 40 minutes breaking into the building via the rear door and loading the items on the truck.

According to police, a CCTV camera on the spot captured the incident, but investigators could not identify the registration number of the vehicles. Investigators said that the owner of the cleaning company Parveen Kataria sent the footage to an IT firm to digitally enhance it for getting the registration numbers.

On Kataria’s complaint, an FIR after inquiry was registered against unidentified suspects under Section 380 (theft in dwelling house) of the Indian Penal Code at Bajghera police station on Monday evening. The complainant is also a lawyer at Gurugram civil court.

Kataria alleged that he suffered a loss of ₹8.5 lakh from the theft. “I have to pay it from my pocket to the firm which sent the consignment. I spent more than ₹50 lakh establishing this business and was yet to earn a single penny,” he said.

Inspector Aman Singh, station house officer of Bajghera police station, said investigation was going on in the case. “Police are trying to trace suspects,” he added.