Manager, staff accused stealing coffee machine, laptop from cafe

Ahmedabad: A 29-year-old cafe owner has filed a complaint with the Gujarat University (GU) police alleging that his manager and another staff member broke into his outlet using a duplicate key and fled with valuables, including a high-end coffee machine.According to the complaint, Abhishek Harjani, a resident of Bodakdev, runs Nook Cafe located on HL College Road in Navrangpura. The cafe operates daily from 8am to midnight. Harjani stated that at around 7.45am on Tuesday, he received a call from Kartik Patel, who oversees daily operations, informing him about a suspected theft at the premises.When Harjani reached the cafe, he found that a coffee-making machine, a Lenovo laptop, and cash from the counter were missing. After reviewing CCTV footage, he allegedly saw manager Sachin Singh and staffer Sudhanshu Ray entering the cafe using a duplicate key and taking the items.Police said the stolen property includes a coffee machine worth around Rs 5 lakh, a laptop valued at Rs 5,000, and Rs 1,000 in cash. When the owner attempted to contact the two employees, they did not respond, prompting him to approach the police.A case of theft has been registered, and a search was underway to apprehend the accused, police added.