Thief uses rope to enter Kanpur factory, steals silver worth Rs 45 lakh in 9 minutes

A thief entered a Kanpur silver factory through a ventilator and stole 18 kg of granules in nine minutes. CCTV footage and the speed of the break-in have led police to examine possible inside knowledge.Thief uses rope to enter Kanpur factory, steals silver worth Rs 45 lakh in 9 minutesKanpur,Oct 13, 2026 18:39 ISTA thief stole 18 kg of silver granules worth around Rs 45 lakh from a factory in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur in just nine minutes, lowering himself through a ventilation opening with the help of a rope.The entire break-in was captured on CCTV, and police suspect that the intruder may have had inside knowledge of the premises.The incident took place at a silver-melting factory in Pokharpur, owned by Nitin, a Maharashtra native who runs a business melting old silver to produce granules. While his shop is located in Nayaganj Sarafa Bazaar, the factory where the silver is processed is situated elsewhere in the city.The theft came to light on Monday, when Nitin arrived at the factory after the Sunday holiday and discovered that 18 kg of silver granules were missing. He then checked the CCTV footage to find out what had happened inside the premises. The footage showed a young man using a rope to lower himself into the factory through a ventilation opening. Once inside, the intruder collected the silver granules before making his way out. From entering the premises to leaving with the silver, the entire operation took approximately 9 minutes.Watch the video here: The suspect had covered his head with a cap, making it difficult to identify his face in the footage. However, the CCTV recording has given investigators a crucial lead as they work to establish the identity of the person responsible.Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the theft. Given how quickly the intruder appeared to navigate the premises and locate the silver, investigators suspect that he may have been familiar with the factory's layout.They are also examining whether someone with access to the premises could have helped the suspect, including the possibility of an employee's involvement. These remain suspicions, and no involvement has been established so far.ADCP Shiva Singh said the case would be solved soon with the help of the CCTV footage. Police are continuing their investigation to identify the suspect and recover the stolen silver.The nine-minute theft has raised questions about how the intruder gained access to the factory and whether he had prior knowledge of where the silver granules were stored. For investigators, the CCTV footage could prove key to piecing together how the break-in was carried out and who was behind it.- Ends