Silent Heist in the Night as Thieves Unlock Office and Vanish with Cash

In a daring late-night theft that felt more like a scene from a heist movie, burglars in Rudrapur slipped into a private office using a duplicate key and escaped with ₹1.4 lakh in cash—leaving no signs of forced entry but plenty of unanswered questions.

The office, located in the Awas Vikas area, belongs to Mohammad Asif, a resident of Preet Vihar, who runs an engineering and design management firm specializing in architectural plans. On Sunday evening, Asif locked up and left town for Aligarh, expecting to return to his workplace as usual. But when he got a call on Tuesday morning informing him that the office lock was mysteriously open, he rushed back—only to find that while his laptop and equipment were untouched, the cash kept in a concealed pouch inside a sofa cupboard had vanished.

Upon reviewing nearby CCTV footage from a house next to the office, three young men were spotted sneaking into the premises in the dead of night. Their movements were swift and precise, suggesting familiarity not just with the office layout, but with exactly where the cash was stored.

Strangely, the lock hadn’t been broken. Asif discovered that a duplicate key had been used and left behind at the scene—an eerie detail pointing to premeditation. The burglars seemed uninterested in any valuables other than the exact spot where the money was hidden.

This targeted theft has raised suspicions that someone with inside knowledge might be involved. Asif is now working closely with authorities to identify the culprits using CCTV evidence. Meanwhile, local community leaders and traders' representatives have visited the site to express concern over growing insecurity in the area.

While the money may be gone, the methodical nature of the break-in has left the town unsettled. It wasn’t just a theft—it was a warning that even locked doors may not be enough when someone already has the key.