Six held for kidnapping, assaulting jeweller to recover gold worth ₹76 lakh

The accused confined him overnight in a flat in Parel and also extorted ₹3.14 lakh from him before releasing him the next day. Six accused have been arrested and one is still absconding, the police said

Mumbai: A 40-year-old jewellery designer was allegedly kidnapped and assaulted for recovering gold worth ₹76 lakh that the accused claimed he had taken from them. The accused confined him overnight in a flat in Parel and also extorted ₹3.14 lakh from him before releasing him the next day. Six accused have been arrested and one is still absconding, the police said.

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According to the police, the incident took place on Tuesday night when the victim, Khokan Mandal, was sitting outside his building. He was approached by three men and a woman, who told him he was wanted in a case and must go with them to the Dadar Police Station. When Mandal resisted, they allegedly forced him into a car and took him to a flat in Parel.

“At the flat, Mandal was confronted by two men he already knew, Tarak Maiti and Raghunath Maiti. The brothers, along with the others, allegedly assaulted him and demanded that he return gold ornaments they claimed he had taken from them,” said a police officer.

Mandal told them the jewellery was stored at his workshop, which was closed for the night. The accused continued to beat him through the night and, on Wednesday morning, forced him to call his employees and arrange for 600 grams of gold, valued at around ₹76 lakh, to be brought to the flat, the officer added.

The police said that after taking the gold, the accused demanded more money. Mandal transferred ₹15,000 online, but since his transfer limit had been exhausted, they allegedly forced his staff to bring a cheque, made him sign a cheque of ₹2.99 lakh, and cashed it before letting him leave.

As soon as he was released, Mandal approached the police and based on his complaint, an FIR was registered under sections 140 (kidnapping) and 61 (wrongful confinement and extortion) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The arrested accused have been identified as Tarak and Raghunath, both residents of Nerul; Deepak Mahadik, a dog trainer from Parel; Alka Mahadik, a resident of Sewri; Rahul Dive, the driver of the vehicle used in the abduction; and Sunil Gorai, a gold worker.

The police investigation has revealed that the Maiti brothers had allegedly hired Mahadik to recover the gold from Mandal, who they claimed had delayed returning their jewellery.

The police said that a search is on for one more accused in the case.