Bhubaneswar, July 15: Burglars struck at the house of a senior Odisha Administrative Service officer working in the home department on Sunday and stole gold ornaments and other valuables worth Rs 10 lakh.

The incident took place at Gopabandhu Square behind Raj Bhavan. No one was at home when the burglary took place as the officer, Jyotiprakash Das, who is working as CEO-cum-joint secretary of home (elections) department, had gone with his family to Cuttack for his son’s admission.

“The burglars entered the house by breaking open the back door. They have ransacked my residence,” said Das, who was previously working as sub-collector of Cuttack and was transferred to the home department two months ago. He also said the incident must have taken place after 2pm.

The stolen assets included gold ornaments worth Rs 6 lakh, Rs 30,000 in cash, a digital camera, two cell phones and other items that were inside cupboard.

Nayapalli police have started an investigation. The incident has drawn criticism from residents of the area, which is considered among the posh localities of the city.

“Burglars have been targeting government quarters of late. But that such a crime was committed in the daytime is surprising. The police should intensify night patrolling,” said Devraj Sahu, a resident of the area.

Snatch-and-run hoodlums are already causing the city police sleepless nights. Burglary too has become a major concern for residents. Statistics available with the police revealed that 41 and 33 burglary cases have been registered in January and February respectively. Another 42 and 40 such cases were registered in March and April respectively. The number of burglary cases was 36 in May.

In October last year, burglars had struck at the government quarters of Koraput MLA Raghunath Padal and Balangir MP Kalikesh Singh Deo in the posh MLA Colony in Kharavela Nagar police limits.

“This city has become a haven for burglars and snatchers. When top government officials are not spared how can commoners feel safe?” asked Gournag Sahu, a resident of Delta Square.