Man, father, friend held in Gujarat for ₹13.34 cr gold, diamond jewellery heist

Three men, including a father-son duo, were arrested for a ₹13.34 crore jewellery heist in Borivali, masterminded by Nathabhai Kuchdia.

MUMBAI: Three men, including a father-son duo, were arrested on Tuesday from Gujarat for pulling off a jewellery heist from the accused’s company guest house in Borivali on Friday. The police said the stolen jewellery was worth ₹13.34 crore.

The man stole from his company’s guest house

The arrested accused are identified as Jignesh Kuchdia, 19, his father Nathabhai Kuchdia, 50, and his friend Yash Jivanhai, 23. All three of them are residents of Junagadh in Gujarat. According to the police, Nathabhai, the mastermind behind the heist, allegedly urged his son to steal the ornaments and have Jivanhai hide the booty.

Jignesh works for JP Export Gold and Diamond, a Rajkot-based gold trading firm. In the first week of June, he left on a work trip with his senior Ajay Ghagda, 27, a sales executive to sell goods in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. After business, the two reached the company’s flat in Borivali (West) on June 20, said a police officer. Around 1.45 pm, when Ghagda went to the bathroom, Jignesh seized the opportunity to rob and allegedly made away with gold ornaments in two bags. When Ghagda realised what happened, he approached the MHB Colony police station and a case was registered under Section 306 (theft committed by a clerk or servant against property in the possession of their master or employer) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Anand Bhoite, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 11), said they dispatched special teams to potential escape routes, such as the railway lines, roads, and airports, to nab the accused. Based on technical investigation from the crime scene, the accused travelled to Dahisar Check Naka, Talasari Toll Naka, Palghar to Vapi Toll Naka, Gujarat to Pithadiya Toll Naka, Junagadh, Gujarat.

“We pursued the vehicle and detained Yash with the Mahindra Thar. After questioning Yash, we also detained Jignesh from Rajkot. It turns out that Nathabhai, the mastermind, was at his residence in Junagadh. A detection team traced him and arrested him on Tuesday. They recovered 13 kg gold ornaments worth ₹13.34 crore from them.

The trio was then brought to Mumbai and produced before the Borivali Metropolitan Magistrate court and remanded to police custody for four days. Nathabhai has a history of criminal record with a cheating case against him at the Junagadh police station, said another officer.