April 24: Three apartments occupied by 16 geog accountants who are undergoing a Diploma course in Financial Management at the Royal Institute of Management (RIM) in Simtokha has been burgled on Monday. The occupants were in the class when the burglary took place.

On Monday morning, they left for class as usual. When they returned, they found that all the three apartments occupied by them have been burgled. According to them, this is the fourth time their apartments have been burgled this month alone.

Among the stolen items are hand woven silk kiras, ghos, shoes, mobile phones, wrist watches and cash. The burglar broke into the apartments by breaking the door latch.

Kinzang Namgay is one of the trainees living in one of the apartments. A suspect has been apprehended by the police. The trainees said the man has often been seen loitering in the area. The house owner said he was aware of the theft but he did not know that the apartments have been burgled four times. He said the apartments are safe and secure.

Pema Wangdi, a RIM official, said the trainees are living in rented apartments because the hostel cannot accommodate all the trainees. He said the course for the geog accountants is a not a regular program of the institute.

"Basically we do not have adequate hostel facilities. Therefore we have been requested by the Ministry of Finance to conduct the course for the geog accountants basically to meet the requirements of the finance personnel’s at the geog level. Since we did not have adequate facilities in hostels we requested the Finance again if they could do something to accommodate those trainees. Fortunately we managed to get three apartments rented. We have been keeping them outside the campus," said Pema Wangdi.

Meanwhile a RIM security guard will be looking after the apartments during the day while the trainees are in the class. Police are investigating the case.