Rayagada, July 21 (UDN): Unidentified burglars allegedly looted gold jewellery, silver ornaments and cash worth several lakhs from the residence of a businessman in Odisha’s Rayagada district on Sunday evening, triggering concerns over a rise in property crimes in the town.

The burglary took place at a house in New Colony belonging to businessman Ippili Chandra and his wife Ippili Sujata. According to the family, the miscreants escaped with nearly 150 grams of gold jewellery, more than one kilogram of silver ornaments, and around ₹1.5 lakh in cash.

The couple had reportedly locked their house and stepped out at around 6:30 pm. When they returned nearly an hour and a half later, they found signs of forced entry. A window had been broken open, and three almirahs inside the house had been ransacked.

“We had gone out in the evening and returned around 8 pm. After entering the house, we found that all three almirahs had been broken open and valuables were missing,” a family member said.

Following the incident, the victims lodged a complaint with the Rayagada Sadar Police. A police team, accompanied by a sniffer dog, visited the scene and began collecting evidence to trace the offenders.

Investigators are examining how the burglars gained access to the house and whether they had prior knowledge that the occupants were away. Efforts are also underway to identify the accused and recover the stolen valuables.

The incident has alarmed residents of Rayagada, who have expressed concern over a reported increase in burglary and theft cases in recent weeks. Police have assured that the matter is being investigated from all possible angles, though no arrests had been made at the time of filing this report.