In a bizarre incident, a group of men broke into a house at Adumaroli near here and stole 99 sovereigns of gold ornaments and cash, only to return two days later with the booty and a piece of advice.

The thieves returned the stolen items to the owner and advised them to “keep such valuable items in a bank locker”.

Shekhar Kunder’s house was burgled in broad daylight on September 16 when he and his wife were away at work.

The thieves broke the rear door of the house and made away with the ornaments and ₹13,000 in cash. The neighbours could not hear any noise as it was raining, police sources said.

However, two bike-borne men on Monday threw a packet containing all the stolen items into the compound of the house, along with a note saying they had committed a mistake by stealing it.

“So much jewellery should not be kept in the house, they advised the owners in the note attached to it, asking them to keep the valuables in a bank locker,” police said.

The two sped away after throwing the packet.

Police said they have received some clues about the identity of the thieves.