Rajat Budhraja and his wife always believed they lived in a secure neighbourhood, barely a block away from chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, on Palm Avenue.

They were shocked on Monday afternoon, after they returned from a tour to find that burglars had made off with jewellery, cash, mobile phones and home appliances worth about Rs 1.5 lakh.

?The burglars entered the flat, located in the Karaya police station area, by breaking open a window at the rear of the four-storeyed building,? Ranvir Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (headquarters), said on Tuesday.

The Punjabi family had been out of town, and returned to find their flat in disarray. A cupboard had been opened and the thieves had stolen valuables, including gold ornaments. Police suspect the hand of an insider in the theft.

Early on Monday, a sweeper and a domestic help noticed that the ground-floor flat?s window was wide open. Since the residents were not in town, they informed the landlord of the building.

The landlord, in turn, called up Budhraja?s parents and Karaya police station.

Budhraja and his wife returned home on Monday afternoon. His parents told them about the theft. The thieves had made off with Rs 5,000 in cash, gold ornaments, two mobile phones, a DVD player and other gadgets.