Liquor worth Rs 1 lakh stolen from Malabar Hill club amid lockdown

The Malabar Hill Club

The Malabar Hill Club, a stone's throw away from Hanging Garden, had a break in on Thursday, May 7 morning. A thief, or thieves, broke into the club, which has been shuttered since lockdown, and stole a number of liquor bottles from the club's The Ridge Bar, located on the first floor.

The CCTV surveillance shows the crime occurring at approximately 3.30 am on May 7. It was discovered early morning, after which the police were alerted.

Professional job
Chief Operating Officer (COO) Payal Kanojia said, "It was evident that this was a professional job. The gates of the club are closed, we have three security personnel within. The thieves or thief, it is suspected that there may be more than one, may have entered by climbing one of the many trees inside the clubhouse, we have trees planted inside the club, but they branch on to the main road."

Shattered window
Kanojia, who lives close to the club, noticed something amiss on Thursday morning. "One of the big windows of the bar was shattered, though the main wooden door of the bar was shut. The CCTV footage showed that the intruder was fully masked, making identification very difficult. A hammer was used to break the windowpane."

Chilled beer
The COO added, "The person entered the bar, broke the fridge locks and took a lot of chilled beers. There are also several other liquor bottles that were taken, it is only the liquor that has been taken, nothing else. I am still to ascertain just how much was taken, the exact worth. It will be within R1 lakh."

From the pattern of the crime, it was evident that the criminal knew exactly what he wanted. He did not even try to open any cash box in the offices. Kanojia said a number of fingerprints and footprints too have, "been found at the site, and the police are doing a thorough job," Kanojia explained.

Club officials explained that there were three security guards, who said they heard a thud but saw nothing by the time they went to investigate.

First time
Kanojia added, "Inquiries are on. Currently, there is absolute mayhem on social media with an insane amount of calls and messages about the worth of the stock stolen. Wild speculation is putting it at three and four times the approximate amount or citing absurd astronomical figures. Let the police inquiry now take its course. We do admit that a theft has taken place, a first time probably in the history of the club. When members ask us in the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the club about the robbery, we will answer."

Inside job: cops
A senior police officer said, "This is probably an insider. He knew exactly where to enter from and take the alcohol. Though we have CCTV footage, it was dark at the time, so the surveillance is a unclear. Currently, the club is uncertain about the exact amount of bottles missing," he finished.

Rs 1 lakh
Approximate cost of the stolen alcohol

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