Archana Gautam says police asked her to hold back CCTV of her cafe theft

Archana Gautam has said the police told her to keep CCTV footage of a theft at her cafe off social media. She released it only after several days went by without an arrest.

The theft hit Oye Churros, her cafe in Versova, Mumbai. Gautam said the thief took the whole cash counter, which she valued at close to Rs 50,000, along with the Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 inside it. She said it happened over the night of October 1 and 2, while she was away in Lonavala, and her staff gave her the news.

What alarmed the actor most was how carefully it was planned. She said the man came with a large stick, slept outside the cafe and waited for the right moment. "He had brought such a big stick that if anyone caught him, he could kill them," she said.

Gautam filed an FIR at Versova police station. Officers asked her not to talk about the case or post the video, because they feared it could help the thief get away.

With no arrest days later, she changed her mind and shared the footage and his photo. She said the police told her they are still investigating. Going public was her way of asking fans and people around her for any clue about who he might be. "It's not that I will sit hand in hand," she said.