Masseur steals valuables from employer, arrested in MP

A masseur fled with ₹17 lakh in valuables from his employer in Mumbai but was arrested within 48 hours in Madhya Pradesh.

MUMBAI: A masseur allegedly fled the city with gold jewellery and a Rolex watch worth ₹17 lakh from his employer in an ayurvedic massage centre on Thursday. Within 48 hours, the Nalasopara police on Saturday arrested the accused from a moving train in Madhya Pradesh.

Masseur steals valuables from employer, arrested in MP

The complainant, Pradeep Gupta, is the founder of Seva Vivek in Bhalivali on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway and a trustee at Mumbai Tarun Bharat Dainik. The Seva Vivek Kendra has a Panchakarma centre named ‘Vedas Ayurvedic’ in Nalasopara West.

On Thursday, Gupta went to the Ayurvedic massage centre at 7 pm. Before his massage, he removed his gold jewellery, cash, iPhone, and a Rolex watch and kept them near his clothes in a locker. After that, he noticed his valuables were missing and approached the Nalasopara police. Based on his complaint and CCTV footage in the centre, a case was registered against Rakesh Pandey, 32.

The police tried to track him using his mobile tower location. Since Pandey kept changing his SIM card at intervals, it was difficult for them to pinpoint his location. They followed his tracks using CCTV footage and caught him boarding a train to MP. The Crime Branch of the Nalasopara police contacted the Khandwa police, who arrested him from a moving train at Khandwa Railway Station with the help of the Government Railway Police.

Pandey had joined the massage centre 15 days ago, said a police officer. Gupta told the police, “We had employed Pandey from a renowned agency in Mumbai. The company had done all the essential verifications on him.”

“We have arrested Pandey and recovered the gold jewellery, the Rolex watch, and a phone from his possession,” said Jaywant Bajbale, deputy commissioner of police (Nalasopara).