Driver held for stealing diamonds, luxury watches worth ₹4cr from Delhi employer’s house

A driver stole diamond jewelry and luxury watches worth ₹4 crore from his employer's home, but was caught two months later with the items recovered.

NEW DELHI: A 30-year-old man, who worked as a driver and burgled diamond jewellery and luxury watches worth around ₹4 crore from his employer’s house at Anand Niketan, was held nearly two months after the incident, police said on Thursday.

The theft took place during the Navratri period. (Representative photo)

Police said that they have recovered the entire haul as the accused did not get a chance to dispose of the goods. High-value solitaire jewellery and luxury watches from Roger Dubuis, Rolex and Hublot brands were recovered from his family house in Rajasthan and a rented accommodation in Shahdara. The accused was identified as Mahender Dan.

Deputy commissioner of police (south west) Amit Goel said that the accused came from Indokha village in Makrana, Nagaur district.

The burglary was reported on September 28 by a 52-year-old woman, who comes from a family of realtors in south Delhi, to the South Campus police. In the complaint, she alleged the theft had taken place between August 28 and 29.

An FIR under sections 306 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered, and the case was later transferred on November 21 to the district’s Anti-Burglary Cell for further investigation.

A senior police officer said that manual intelligence and technical surveillance helped them zero in on the suspect. “After examining all the staff at the house, it was found that the driver had shifted his rented house from Chhattarpur to Shahdara and that he had also taken a few days of leave after the burglary,” the investigator cited above said.

Forensic analysis of fingerprints found in the house also matched with Dan’s, following which he was picked up for questioning. He admitted to his crime during interrogation, police said.

He claimed that he was under financial stress and his ₹25,000 salary wasn’t enough for him. “After the theft, he took a few days off, went to his village and left most of the articles there. He came back to work,” the officer said.

Police said the accused kept the bulk of the jewellery, which include a pear-shaped solitaire ring, multiple three-carat diamonds, a diamond necklace set, and the luxury watches at his village house. On his instance, police recovered the stolen ornaments from a locked room there. Two stolen gold biscuits were later recovered from his rented house in Shahdara.

Investigators said Dan continued to work with the complainant even after the alleged theft, which helped him avoid suspicion for nearly two months. “He behaved as though nothing had changed and went about his routine driving duties,” an officer said.

Police said that he had studied up to Class 8 and moved to Delhi when he turned 18 to work as a driver. His family, they said, depended on his income. The jewellery will undergo valuation and identification before being returned to the complainant as per procedure.