Kanpur: A thief stole 18 kg silver powder worth about Rs 45 lakh from a refining factory in Pokharpur in Chakeri area after entering through hole in roof late Sunday night.




CCTV footage showed the thief climbing down a rope tied to a pillar, collecting the powder and escaping through the rear of the factory. Two artisans who worked and lived there noticed the intruder but pretended to sleep because they feared being killed, factory owner Nitin Tope said. They informed him after the thief fled.




Two police teams have been deployed to identify and arrest the thief. Police and forensic personnel examined the factory and collected evidence. Investigators are examining footage from nearby CCTV cameras and gathering information about people associated with the factory and other suspects.




Tope, originally from Maharashtra and now living in Sanjay Nagar, Naubasta, had operated the factory near Pulse processing unit for two years. He is also associated with the silver business in Naya Ganj.




Tope said he had closed the factory and returned home as usual before the theft.




According to the office bearers of the All India Jewelers Association , old silver was refined at Tope’s factory to make it fit for reuse. The silver had been kept there in powder form as part of the refining process.




ADCP Eastern Shiva Singh and ACP Chakeri Ashutosh Kumar Singh on Monday inspected the factory, while a forensic team collected evidence from the scene




Chakeri ACP Ashutosh Kumar Singh said police and forensic personnel had examined the scene and two teams were working to crack the case using CCTV footage.