Jewellery shops in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 18: Police commissioner R.P. Sharma today held a meeting with jewellery shops owners of the twin cities to discuss precautionary measures to keep thieves at bay.

Around 80 shop owners from the twin cities attended the meeting. Bhubaneswar has around 150 jewellery shops, while Cuttack has more than 100 jewellery shops.

The police asked the jewellers to provide details of all their employees so that a database can be created.

The police have also asked them to install closed-circuit television cameras, both inside outside their shops, to keep a watch on the movement of suspicious people.

The police assured the shop owners that they would tighten security in both the cities during the festive season.

“Patrolling will be intensified particularly in the areas that have jewellery shops. Armed personnel will also be deployed during the festive season,” said a senior police officer.

The shop owners, however, raised the issue of people selling them stolen ornaments.

“We buy ornaments only after having a look at the logos of shops from where they were bought. We also ensure that the seller provides the bill of the ornaments they carry. In case he or she fails to furnish the bill, we seek other details. However, often people come to us citing emergencies. It is not always possible to ascertain whether the ornaments being sold are stolen or not,” said Sukant Moharana, a gold trader in Bhubaneswar.

The law keepers advised the traders to inform the local police station whenever they find any deal to be suspicious.

Student database

The police today also convened a meeting with the authorities of various engineering colleges of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar and asked them to furnish details of their students living in private accommodations.

The decision to keep a database of engineering students was taken following the revelation of their involvement in several incidents of crime.

The police have constituted a committee to monitor the process of the preparation of the database of engineering students.