After reeling from a burglary that took place in their Los Altos home Oct. 22, Padmini and Sriram Chelluri are trying to get their lives back together, but they can’t shake a feeling of disease in a city they said doesn’t feel as safe as it once was.
The Chelluris were on their way back from a trip to India when they said a welfare check was called to their residence along Loucks Avenue around 1 p.m. Oct. 22. Los Altos police conducted the check, then six hours later burglars broke into the home by shattering a glass door into the main bedroom.
Although the criminals weren’t in the Chelluri home for more than five minutes, they left with jewelry, two big metal boxes filled with crucial documents and irreplaceable family heirlooms, and a dresser drawer.
Padmini, who was driven home from the airport by friends, learned of the burglary after she noticed her front door was unlocked. She said she saw the welfare check on her security camera when it happened and spoke with neighbors afterwards; what she saw when she checked videos recorded by the cameras that night shook her.
“I looked at the camera and then I found a disturbing video,” she said in a phone call. “There were people running around toward my main door. I immediately called 911, and informed them that there was a burglary.”
Padmini noted the police went through her home and agreed they’d been burglarized. Officers also advised her to board up the shattered door and get in contact with her home insurance. During their conversation, Padmini inquired about the previous day’s welfare check and was told it was called because of mounting mail outside their home.
Life after a burglary: Crime victims feel unsafe in Los Altos | News | losaltosonline.com