₹1-cr worth gold stolen from jeweller

MUMBAI: The Wadala TT police are on the lookout for a jeweller’s employee whom they suspect of stealing ₹1-crore worth of gold ornaments on Thursday afternoon. Police also said the suspect walked away with the CCTV digital recorder that captured the daylight heist.

On Thursday, 43-year-old Mahendra Mandavat, owner of Kajol Jewellery in Sion Koliwada, lodged a complaint with the police after his business partner, Nanasingh Rajput, informed him that their store’s shutter lock was broken.

As per Mandavat’s statement, their employee Narayan Gujar has been untraceable since the robbery. Mandavat said his store was open from 9.30am to 9.30 pm every day, and Rajput kept possession of the key.

“At around 2.30pm, I left for home to have lunch, and so did Rajput and Gujar after closing the shutter. At 3.35 pm, Rajput called me informing that the shutter locks were broken,” Mandavat told the police.

Rajput tried calling Gujar on his phone but found it to be switched off. They could not locate him in his area either. Gujar, according to police, was also entrusted with taking Mandavat’s children to school every day.

Police recorded that 4,000 grams of gold ornaments (bangles, necklaces, rings and earrings) worth ₹1 crore were stolen from the shop. They registered a case of theft under Indian Penal Code section 381. “The owners had alleged the name of a shop employee and we are trying to trace him,” said Ankhush Katkar, senior inspector.

POLICE SUSPECT SHOP EMPLOYEE BROKE IN AND STOLE NEARLY 4,000 ORNAMENTS