Jeweller’s aide arrested for stealing gold worth ₹1crore in Delhi

According to the police, the accused frequently procured gold articles from other jewellers for his employer, making him a trusted intermediary

A 39-year-old man, an employee of a jeweller in Chandni Chowk, was arrested on Saturday, four days after he absconded with nearly a kilogramme of gold jewellery worth around ₹1 crore belonging to another jeweller, police said on Monday.

(Representational image)

According to the police, the accused frequently procured gold articles from other jewellers for his employer, making him a trusted intermediary. So, on November 18, when he asked another jewellery store owner for gold items worth ₹1crore, the jeweller handed over the items without question.

Instead of delivering the items, the man fled, intending to sell the jewellery to settle his ₹80 lakh debt.

The victim, Pankaj Goyal, a jeweller from Kucha Mahajani, filed a police complaint after discovering the theft.

Police then launched a manhunt that took them to Haridwar in Uttarakhand and Farrukhabad, Bijnor and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh before they caught up to the accused and arrested him near the Kashmere Gate interstate bus terminal in Delhi on Saturday.

The stolen gold, totalling 913gm and including 110 rings and 30 necklaces with earrings, was fully recovered.

Police identified the accused as Amit Verma, an employee of a Kucha Mahajani jeweller for over a decade.

The victim of the theft, Goyal, told police that Verma came to the jewellery shop on November 18 and requested some gold articles for his employer, said deputy commissioner of police (north) Raja Banthia.

“As per usual Goyal handed over 1.8kg of jewellery boxes to Verma. But later he discovered that Verma had absconded with the jewellery. He filed a complaint, and we registered a case at the Kotwali police station,” said Banthia.

Verma, investigators said, had been planning the theft for some time due to mounting pressure from his unpaid debt. Investigators found that Verma had switched off the mobile phones of his family members a day before committing the theft to avoid detection.

“CCTV footage showed that Verma took an auto from Chandni Chowk after committing the theft and got down at East Azad Nagar in east Delhi, where he entered a house. We questioned the resident of the house, who revealed that Verma had stayed there for some time and separated jewellery items from the boxes. Police also learnt that Verma had phoned someone in Haridwar,” said Banthia.

A police team went to Haridwar where they learnt that Verma had boarded a bus to Saharanpur. The team went to Saharanpur, where they learnt that he had already returned to Delhi and contacted his friend in East Azad Nagar.

Police laid a trap at the Kashmere Gate ISBT based on a tip-off about his meeting with a contact. Verma was arrested at the location. During interrogation, he admitted to planning to sell the stolen gold in Farrukhabad to repay his debt, said DCP Banthia.