A jewellery store in the Satara district in Maharashtra was burgled a couple of days back by thieves who made away with 780 grams of gold by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) kits. In a statement issued on Tuesday by the district police, they said they have accessed CCTV footage from the jewellery shop for their investigation and said the footage shows the burglars getting hold of the gold that was put up for display on the showcases and cupboards. 

The incident had taken place two days back during the ongoing lockdown with the robbers disguising themselves wearing masks, hand gloves and plastic jackets that are being worn for the most part by medical officials and frontline health workers as a precautionary protective measure against getting infected by the coronavirus. A complaint has been filed by the jewellery shop owner and a case has been registered at the local police station. In the complaint, the store owner has stated the burglars had looted him off 78 'tola' (one tola = 10 gm) gold. 

PPE kits have been made mandatory for use by medical staff at all hospitals across the country. Medical officials and health workers deployed at quarantine centres, isolation centres and COVID-19 care centres have been advised to do so to ensure effective management of keeping coronavirus at bay. 

India began manufacturing PPE kits at a rapid pace within two months of the COVID-19 outbreak. With various parts of the country witnessing a massive spike in the number of coronavirus cases, there was an urgency to import PPE kits for healthcare workers, who were on the frontline dealing with the pandemic. Gradually, a number of Indian companies too got into manufacturing their own PPE kits to keep up with the growing demand.