19-year-old steals gold from uncle to buy Thar, invites him for puja; arrested

A viral reel showing the 19-year-old’s new SUV purchase helped investigators identify him as a suspect in the theft.

In a case that has both baffled and amused police, a teenager stole his uncle’s gold to buy a Thar and then invited him to perform the puja for the new vehicle.

The theft took place between September 20 and October 18, police said. (HT)

The uncle, blissfully unaware that the SUV was paid for with money from the sale of jewellery stolen from his house, happily consented to grace the ceremony.

The 19-year-old diploma student allegedly stole gold jewellery worth ₹14.5 lakh from his uncle’s house and sold it to a jeweller for ₹10 lakh to fulfil his dream of owning a Mahindra Thar SUV. However, his luck ran out faster than the Thar’s fuel when the police reached his doorstep, exposing the alleged theft.

On Sunday, Kolhapur police said they arrested the student, Samar Popat Chavan, and a 26-year-old jeweller, Sangram Babaso More on Friday, in connection with the theft, which occurred at Satve village in Panhala taluka, Kolhapur district. Police recovered the stolen gold ornaments and seized the Thar SUV. The total value of the seized property was estimated at ₹30.51 lakh.

Gold ornaments stolen from locked cupboard

According to the police, the theft took place between September 20 and October 18. Initially, the police complaint stated that an unidentified person broke into the complainant Umesh Maruti Chavan’s house and stole gold jewellery from a locked cupboard. A case was registered at Kodoli police station on October 19 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

During the investigation, when police questioned the complainant’s family members and relatives about their income, investments and recent purchases, they learned about a viral reel showing accused Samar’s recent SUV purchase.

Shrikant Thikane, Probationary DSP in charge of Kodoli police station, said, “We became suspicious of Samar after learning that he had recently purchased an expensive SUV despite having no regular employment or income source. His father was a peon.”

Police examined his bank transactions and found that ₹3.4 lakh had recently been deposited into his account. Further investigation revealed that Samar sold the stolen jewellery to More for ₹10 lakh.

Police said both accused confessed after being confronted with CCTV footage. Samar allegedly admitted to stealing the jewellery and selling it to More, who allegedly admitted to purchasing the ornaments despite knowing they were stolen. Further investigation is underway in this classic case of a joyride gone wrong, driven by greed.