In what is billed as the biggest heist in Andhra Pradesh, burglars decamped with jewellery and diamonds worth Rs 10 crore from a well-known jewellery in the heart of the city in the early hours of Tuesday.

Burglars gained entry into Alukkas Jewellery Shop, located close to Punjagutta police station, soon after midnight and decamped with valuables worth crores of rupees in a well-planned and executed operation.

Incidentally, the security guards deployed at the shop were unaware of the heist till the morning.  

The heist was discovered only when the jewellery shop -- belonging to a well-known Joy Alukkas Group � was opened this morning. At around 11 am, a complaint was lodged with the police about the heist. Soon, police officials rushed to the spot and took up investigations.

Forensic teams, explosives squad and sniffer dogs were deployed to pick up the clues.  

Speaking to newsmen, Hyderabad City Police Commissioner A K Mohanty said, "It is a well-planned burglary. From the investigations and examination of the scene of offence, it seems the culprit(s) entered the shop from somewhere above. There is no other entrance. We are still checking up all the possibilities."

The police suspected that the culprits came in from an adjacent building under construction.

West Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police Amit Garg said the culprits had opened the shutters by applying pressure. They then drilled holes into the plywood doors and opened the bolt and gained entry into the shop. They stole all the jewellery kept in the showcases.

"However, the culprits spared the strong room which has an alarm system. These people (the jewelers) were supposed to keep all the jewellery in the strong room before closing the shop. But they did not keep it there," Garg pointed out.

The City Police Commissioner refused to say how much the stolen jewellery was worth. "They are making assessment of the loss. Apparently, there is very heavy loss of jewellery. There was gold and there were diamonds. Let them make the exact assessment," he said.