Couple drug, rob diamond merchant

A diamond merchant from Kandivli was drugged and robbed by a couple claiming to be his friends. HT Correspondent reports.

A diamond merchant from Kandivli was drugged and robbed by a couple claiming to be his friends.

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According to Chimaji Adop, assistant police inspector of the Malad police station, Rajeshwari (23) and her husband Hiren (25) approached the merchant when he was on the way to his shop.

The couple quickly developed a friendship with the merchant and offered a trip to Aksa beach with them. The merchant said that since the couple seemed very innocent, he went along with them.

On reaching the beach, the couple offered the merchant a cold drink. Not knowing that the drink was spiked, the merchant had the drink and was almost unconscious when the duo took him to a nearby lodge. There they gave him an injection to sedate him.

After two days, the lodge manager grew suspicious and called up the complainant’s family to inform them that he was lying unconscious in the lodge. When he regained consciousness he discovered that his ornaments and wallet were missing.

“The merchant gave us a description of the couple since then we were on the lookout for the duo. On Thursday we kept a watch at Aksa beach in case the couple returned and we spotted them. There was nobody else with them and we laid a trap and were successful in arresting Rajeshwari and Hiren,” added Adop.

The couple has been remanded to police custody till September 20. “We are now investigating whether the couple had looted other people,” Adop said.

According to initial investigations the couple confessed that they had earlier looted another merchant from Nallasopara of ornaments worth Rs 1 lakh.