A group of thieves allegedly stole a large stash of silver from a box kept in the basement of a house in Jaipur after digging a 20-foot-long and 15 foot-deep tunnel, police said. 

The exact quantity of silver stolen was not disclosed by the owner of the house, PTI reported. 

Also Read | Man in PPE kit loots gold jewellery worth Rs 13 crore in Delhi

According to police, the accused bought a house behind the doctor’s house for Rs 87 lakh in January, covering its walls with tin sheds before starting work on the tunnel. 

The accused dug the tunnel from the house to the exact location where the box located and cut it open to steal the contents. 

The owner, Dr Sunit Sori – who runs a hair transplant clinic, found the flooring of the basement uneven and dug it on Wednesday. He informed the police about the theft later that evening. 

Also Read | Thieves drill hole from rented shop, loot jewellery outlet

“Primary investigation indicates the involvement of Dr Soni’s friend who knew about the silver. We have detained him and he is being interrogated. Four more accused are also there in the case,” Ajaypal Lamba, Additional Commissioner of Police said.

The prime accused is a bullion trader.

There were three big boxes buried in the basement. Soni informed police that the accused stole silver from one box while the rest were empty. However, he could not give an answer why empty boxes were concealed there.