Taps, bathroom fittings stolen from family home of Prashant Bhushan’s wife

The taps, pipes and washroom fittings of a house in east Delhi belonging to advocate Prashant Bhushan’s wife and her siblings were found stolen on Wednesday, police said.

Though the house was unoccupied for the last nine months, the family got an electricity bill of Rs 500 for the last month, prompting him to suspect someone had either stayed in it for a few days or visited it on multiple occasions.

A case under Indian Penal Code section 308 (theft in a building) has been registered at the Anand Vihar police station and investigation is on, said Meghna Yadav, deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara).

The house and the plot belongs to Bhushan’s wife and her siblings and has been on sale for the last nine months, Bhushan said. “Since all prospective buyers want to pay half the money in black, we have been unable to sell it,” said Bhushan, who lives with his family in Noida.

Lal Bahadur, caretaker of Bhushan’s home in Noida, would visit the house every few days for cleaning and maintenance. “The last time I visited the house was in mid-August. But when I went on Wednesday, I found the bathroom fittings had been stolen,” said Bahadur.

Bhushan and Bahadur approached the police and requested them to check CCTV footage of nearby homes for clues. “I have no idea who the thieves are but the crime suggests they are skilled in plumbing work. The electricity bill of an unoccupied house suggests they either stayed here for a few days or made multiple visits to carry out the crime,” said Bhushan.

While the three gates of the house did not appear to be broken or unlocked, Bhushan suspects the thieves may have entered through the terrace.

First Published: Sep 14, 2018 03:22 IST