The scene at the jewellery shop that was burgled early on Thursday at Jayadev Vihar in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 22: Burglars are outsmarting security gadgets such as closed circuit television cameras by using unique means for their criminal ends.

Last night, a group of burglars threw a burning tyre into a small jewellery shop in Jayadev Vihar to block the visibility of CCTV cameras before burgling the shop. They stole silver ornaments worth around Rs 4 lakh.

The modus operandi of the goons was unique and the crime posed a challenge to the cops, as the goons left behind no clues. The CCTV footage only showed the burglars entering the shop at 2.30am and leaving around 4.30am.

Although the goons were at the shop for more than two hours after burning tyres on a main road, nobody spotted them. Not even police patrolling teams.

Before the thieves disconnected two CCTV cameras that were set up outside shop, the cameras did record some shots. But the footage has not been of much help to the cops. It merely shows the burglars come towards the shop while hiding behind a blue polythene sheet. They then tied the sheet to the iron grill outside and two of the goons, they faces covered by cloth, cut the camera wires.

“After that, there was no more footage from these external cameras,” said Bhabani Shankar Sahu, owner of the shop.

Nearby shopkeepers informed Sahu about the burglary this morning after they saw burnt tyres in front of the shop, the shutters of which had been broken. “The police were already there when I reached here after a cyber café owner informed me of the theft. Smoke was coming out of it and a tyre was burning inside,” Sahu said.

The thieves had broken the shutter and the glass door inside the shop. They had stolen all the silver ornaments from the shop.

“When I entered the shop with the Nayapali policemen, it was filled with smoke. The CCTV footage could not show anything,” said the shopkeeper.

Forensic experts and scientific team of the police later checked the spot. They collected fingerprints and items left behind by the burglars. Police officials said it seemed that the criminals were well acquainted with the shop and it CCTV installations.

Inspector in charge of Nayapali police station Anup Kanungo said they had launched a manhunt to nab the culprits.

“We will arrest the burglars soon,” said Kanungo.

Last year, a group of thieves had burgled a computer accessories shop at Saheed Nagar.

They had used a bedsheet as cover to avoid being caught by the CCTV and motorists passing by.

The shopkeepers in Jayadev Vihar said that in the past month, several burglary incidents had occurred in their area.

Two days ago a cyber café had been burgled at Mundasahi Square and two persons were later arrested.