Bhubaneswar: A joyous wedding recently took a shocking turn when thieves allegedly made off with Rs 3.5 lakh in cash from the bride’s gift bag during the sangeet ceremony at a posh hotel in Bhubaneswar’s Nayapalli area.
According to the bride’s father, the incident took place on January 5. “My wife was carrying a bag, which she put down and stepped away briefly. When she turned back to get the bag, i
t was gone. Surprisingly, there were no CCTV cameras inside the hotel. From the outdoor CCTV footage and the ceremony video recording, we identified two individuals. They could not have entered the venue without help from the hotel staff,” he alleged.
The family has lodged a complaint with Nayapalli police, which is examining the CCTV footage to identify the culprits.
The thieves are suspected to have entered the venue as part of the groom’s entourage, blended with the guests, and later hurriedly left in a car with the stolen cash.
A similar theft was reported in the state capital in February last year when two smartly-dressed thieves decamped with gold jewellery worth over Rs 10 lakh and Rs 2 lakh in cash after clicking photographs with the bride and groom at the reception in a posh hotel.