Peterborough doctor 'devastated' after burglars break in and steal precious artwork

A Peterborough doctor has been left devastated after burglars ransacked his house, stealing dozens of his own paintings.

Dr Remasiri Boralessa returned to his Granville Street home from his holiday on Sunday, July 24 to find burglars were still inside the property.

He said: "I came home, went through the porch door, and the front door was open.

"There was a man inside - I asked him who he was, and he asked me. I said I was the owner."

Dr Boralessa started talking to the man, but he eventually fled the scene - joined by a man who was upstairs.

Dr Boralessa was then able to see the damage to his home. He said; "All the doors were open - I could see a hole had been cut in the back door. Floorboards had been lifted up. It was devastating to see. The place had been totally ransacked"

Dr Boralessa said the burglars had even had a shower while he had been away – saying it was believed they could have been in the house for a number of days.

Along with damage caused, the burglars took a number items, including a number of paintings created by Dr Boralessa .

Dr Boralessa said: "It seems they have taken as much as possible. My TV, microwave, even a regency book case.

"Photographs were strewn all over the floor.

"But they also took between 45 and 60 of my paintings.

"They even used bubble wrap to take them.

"The paintings are so important to me. Some of them have been published in (medical journal) The Lancet. It is devastating.

"Some of them date back to the 1990s.

“If anyone sees them, I would love to get them back. I am not a famous painter. If anyone sees them for sale, I would love to have them back.”

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Police said: “

We were called at about 1pm on 24 July to reports of a burglary at an address in Granville Street, Peterborough.

Officers, including those trained in forensics, attended the property and an investigation is ongoing.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police via their webchat, or by calling 101.