The 70-year-old mother of a hosiery businessman died of a cardiac arrest after discovering that thieves had broken into her house and fled with gold and silver jewellery and cash worth several lakhs in Threeke Colony of Basant City here.The incident occurred at the residence of hosiery businessman Gagandeep Arora.Unidentified thieves broke into the house on the night of August 24 after forcing open the main doors. They targeted the almirahs and fled with gold ornaments, other precious jewellery, cash and a mobile phone.When the family woke up early the next morning, they found household articles scattered around and the almirahs lying open. On discovering that the valuables were missing, 70-year-old Shakuntala Devi was unable to bear the shock. Her condition suddenly deteriorated, and she suffered a cardiac arrest, which proved fatal.Gagandeep Arora said the theft had not only caused a financial loss to the family but had also left them devastated by the death of his mother.“My mother could not bear the loss caused by the thieves. She suffered a cardiac arrest and died,” he said.The Ludhiana police registered a case against unidentified persons and launched an investigation. CCTV footage from cameras installed in and around the house was being examined, while details of the stolen jewellery and cash were being collected. Police said the culprits would be identified and arrested on the basis of the investigation.Gagandeep said he was not in a position to disclose the extent of the loss as he was devastated by the death of his mother.Investigating Officer ASI Jatinder Singh said police had registered a case and launched an investigation to identify and arrest the thieves.