Burglary at former Karnataka DGP’s Lucknow home; gold, cash worth lakhs stolen while family abroad

LUCKNOW: A burglary was reported at the Aliganj residence of former Karnataka DGP Mahendra Kumar Srivastava’s family, where thieves broke into the house and decamped with jewellery and cash worth several lakhs.

The incident came to light on Sunday, October 26, when house help Akash Rawat arrived in the morning and found the locks broken and valuables missing.According to the FIR lodged at Aliganj police station by Rishika Raj, wife of Nitin Kumar Srivastava, the family left for Salalah, Oman, on October 16 to visit her husband, who works there. Before leaving, they asked their old domestic help Akash to take care of the house till Diwali.

After performing Diwali rituals on October 20, Akash reportedly locked up the house and left for his native village on October 21.When he returned early on October 26 to collect the family car, he found several locks broken and household items scattered. He immediately alerted Rishika’s relatives and friends, who informed the family overseas. Rishika rushed back to Lucknow and discovered that multiple locks were broken and the house ransacked.

The stolen items include eight gold bangles, eleven gold chains, four bracelets, two lockets, five heavy gold sets, two small diamond sets, one heavy diamond set, two gold armlets, twenty-four pairs of gold and diamond earrings, five diamond pendant sets, and gold coins weighing around 40 grams. In addition, ₹2.25 lakh in cash, a DVR from the CCTV system, and an Airtel Xstream TV box were also missing.Police registered a case under Sections 305 and 331(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Forensic teams inspected the scene and collected evidence. Investigators are examining CCTV footage from nearby houses to identify the suspects and trace the stolen property.Police sources said several suspects are being questioned, including local workers and known acquaintances. The burglary reportedly occurred sometime between October 21 and 25, when the house remained unoccupied.