Photo by Nnr2025, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A rat turned unlikely jewel thief in Tumakuru, about 60km north of Bengaluru, after CCTV footage caught it dragging away gold and diamond ornaments worth Rs 10 lakh from a local shop.
Staff at Vishwas Jewellery first spotted around 10 rings missing during a routine daily count and initially suspected a burglary, since the shop’s shutters showed no signs of tampering.
Shop owner Vishwas said the team reviewed CCTV recordings and were startled to see a rat carrying off a gold ring, prompting staff to track the rodent’s movements through the premises.
The trail led to the rat’s burrow, where staff dug up nearly 10 rings, three gold chains and multiple diamond-studded pieces, together weighing over 50 grams and valued at around Rs 10 lakh.
Video of the discovery has since gone viral, with social media users comparing the incident to a comedy film and joking about the rodent’s evident taste for fine jewellery.
No police complaint was mentioned in reports of the incident, as the shop managed to recover the missing items directly after locating the rat’s hiding place.
Tumakuru, located about 60km north of Bengaluru, is a district headquarters town in Karnataka known for its coconut trade and, more recently, its growing role as an industrial corridor near the state capital.
Jewellery store owners across the region have reportedly begun reviewing pest control measures after the incident drew widespread attention on social media.
Videos of the CCTV footage have circulated widely on social media, with users comparing the incident to a scene from a comedy film and joking about the rat’s taste for fine jewellery.
Rats are known to drag small, shiny objects back to their burrows, a behaviour attributed to their instinct to hoard items alongside food, though jewellery theft on this scale is rarely documented on camera.
Photo by Nnr2025, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
