House help held for stealing 52 trophies from employer’s house

The accused was traced and detained from his native place in Odisha and is being brought to Mumbai on a transit remand

MUMBAI: A 42-year-old domestic worker was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly stealing 52 gold-and-silver-plated trophies belonging to his employer, an ad-film director and horse racing enthusiast. The accused was traced and detained from his native place in Odisha and is being brought to Mumbai on a transit remand.

House help held for stealing 52 trophies from employer’s house

According to the police, the complainant, Shiven Surendranath, 59, a resident of Breach Candy and a member of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), approached the Gamdevi police on January 4 after discovering that several trophies were missing from his residence. Subsequently, the police registered a case under Section 306 (theft) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

“Surendranath had employed the accused, Rajendra Jena, five years ago as a house help. Jena had unrestricted access to all rooms of the flat, where the trophies, dating back to 2006, were displayed and stored in the living room and bedrooms,” said a police officer.

Surendranath owns Diamond Band Racing Syndicate Private Limited and several racehorses that have won prestigious trophies at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. These include the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy Trophy, Sir H.M. Mehta Trophy, Kejriwal Trophy, Indian Derby, Shantidas Askuran Trophy, De International Cup, Chief Minister’s Trophy and the Volkswagen India Trophy, among others.

“On November 23, the accused informed Surendranath that he needed to travel urgently to Kolkata and left, saying he would return in five days,” a Gamdevi police officer said. While Jena initially remained in contact, he later stopped responding to calls.

Later, on January 4, he noticed that 52 trophies were missing from the display. Following this, he approached the police, after which Jena was traced to his native place in Odisha and was arrested.

“We have secured his transit remand and are bringing him to Mumbai. Only after his arrival will we be able to interrogate him further and work towards recovering the stolen trophies,” said DCP Mohit Kumar Garg (Zone II).