Security Manager Ajit Singh said today, ``There was no robbery and I have nothing to say about it.'' Strange, since the Vasant Vihar police have registered a case (FIR no. 19/99) under Sections 457 (lurking, house trespass or house breaking by night) and 380 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

There are only two shops in the hotel: Gift Centre and Khyber Art. Jewellery, books and handicrafts are sold in the former, and carpets and other handicrafts from Kashmir are sold in the latter. The theft took place at Gift Centre, which belongs to V.S. Yadav.

As Yadav is in the USA, his wife Maya is overseeing the operations. She said, ``I only go to the shop when my husband isn't here. We usually close the shop late, after 10 p.m., and sometimes I'm even there till 12 a.m. On Wednesday night, I left early because I wasn't feeling well.'' The shop was closed by Ram Jagat, who has worked with the Yadavs for 12 years. It was opened by another employee, Mukesh, on Thursday morning. ``He noticed something was wrong and later realised that many items weren't there. At first, he checked the sale book. But when he saw that nothing was mentioned in that he immediately contacted the hotel security. He called the lobby manager and phoned me,'' Maya said.

The hotel lobby is usually crowded and it also has a close-circuit television. The shop lock had not been tampered with as Mukesh opened the door without any problem. The police suspect that the thief entered through an air-conditioning duct and the robbery was an inside job. ``There is some construction work going on in the hotel. The AC duct has been lying open for quite a while now. In fact, my husband had complained to the hotel authorities earlier to get the duct sealed,'' Maya added.