Jewellery workshops largely located in One-Town and Governorpet are an easy prey to dacoits due to poor security arrangements and surveillance.
Over 100 workshops in both areas have been operating since decades and over 5,000 craftsmen eke out a livelihood making jewellery for hundreds of local stores. In Governorpet alone, about 2,000 people work in the workshops mostly situated in the interiors of the commercial complexes.
The workshops do not retain huge quantity for a longer period and goldsmiths convert kilogrammes of gold into ornaments and hand them over to traders every day once the orders are placed.
Despite dealing with valuables on a daily basis, the workshops do not have tight security and surveillance arrangements barring CCTV cameras at a few commercial complexes.
“We have never expected that such an incident could happen while the workshop was full with staff. We came across incidents of robbery when the shops were closed or simple thefts. Now that we became targets of dacoits, we will soon call a meeting and discuss security arrangements near the workshops in the city and the State,” Karri Venumadhav, president, Andhra Pradesh Swarnakara Sangam, told The Hindu .
“Without information from insiders, it is impossible for the dacoits to break in and takeaway all the gold and cash. This should be an insider job,” he said adding that he was confident the police would nab the culprits soon. Most of the workshop owners, including north Indians, hire workers from their own close circles.
