A 14-year-old boy, who silently entered a five-star hotel in Jaipur during a wedding ceremony along with the groom’s procession, allegedly escaped with a bag containing Rs 1.50 crore (about R3.3m).
The boy took a bag that belonged to the groom's mother after she kept it beside her at Hotel Hyatt, the wedding venue. The incident was captured on CCTV.
Sub-inspector Chhaganlal said: "Naresh Kumar Gupta (61), a resident of Cyberabad in Telangana, has filed a report of theft. The complainant runs a medical business in Hyderabad. He along with his family members came to Jaipur for the wedding of his son Sairamna (24) for which Hotel Hyatt was booked."
On August 8, people from the bride and groom's sides were present at the hotel for the wedding. During the rituals, the groom's mother was sitting near the mandap (covered structure with pillars) with her bag next to her. The boy came from behind and stealthily took it away, the police said.
According to Naresh Gupta, the wedding procession was welcomed at the hotel gate by the bride's family at around 10pm. During their entry, the boy somehow joined the wedding procession and entered the hotel behind the groom, who was on an elephant, while his partner walked in front of him. They stayed at the hotel for about an hour, and were seen monitoring people carrying bags.
As soon as the groom's mother kept her bag next to her near the mandap at around 11.20pm, the boy snatched it and fled.
"CCTV footage from inside the hotel is being scanned. The accused boy and his partner are visible in the footage. An escape route chart is being prepared for which we are checking the CCTV footage from the areas adjacent to the hotel," said SI Chhaganlal. - IANS