Thieves broke into a two-storey house in Salt Lake’s AH Block early on Monday morning, breaking seven locks while a family slept inside and threatening the homeowner with death when she tried to raise an alarm.

The intruders entered the house at AH 205 around 3.30am and escaped with two bags containing documents, according to the family.

Sangeeta Bhattacharya, 40, was sleeping with her 16-year-old daughter on the first floor when she first heard what sounded like metal being sawed, followed by footsteps in the living room outside her bedroom.

“I heard the grille being cut around 2.45am. Around 3.30am, there was a loud thud. I understood they were inside,” she said.

When Sangeeta screamed and threatened to call the police, a male voice from outside her room threatened her with death. “A male voice threatened me with death if I dared to alert the police. There was more than one person. I could make out from the sound of their footsteps,” she recalled.

Her husband Arnab Bhattacharya and 78-year-old mother-in-law were sleeping in another room and remained unaware of the break-in until Sangeeta woke them after the thieves had left.

The family discovered the extent of the break-in when they went downstairs after 4.30am. “They had broken seven of our locks, and two bags kept downstairs
were missing,” said Arnab. The stolen bags belonged to relatives who occasionally stay on the ground floor.

The thieves likely escaped through the bathroom window, as iron security nails on the washroom window wall were found flattened, the family said.

The residential neighbourhood has minimal security infrastructure, with only one private CCTV camera and occasional police patrols.

“Police patrols visit this area sometimes. There is just one camera installed by a family on the road. But now we feel we need to install more cameras,” said a neighbour, describing it as a “peaceful” area that becomes deserted after sunset.

Officers from Bidhannagar (East) police station have registered a theft case and begun investigating. No arrests had been made till the time of writing this report on Monday evening.

Once a frequent occurrence in Salt Lake, incidents of burglary had come down over the past few years in the township. The latest theft, in AH Block, located not too far from the Bidhannagar (East) police station, would be a cause of concern for residents.