Domestic help held for stealing cash and jewellery from his employer`s house

A domestic help working was arrested along with two others from Uttar Pradesh for allegedly stealing diamond and gold jewellery worth more than Rs 2 crore from his employer`s house in Mumbai last month, police said on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI.

Mumbai crime: Valuables and Rs 7 lakh cash stolen

The valuables and Rs 7 lakh cash were stolen last month when the complainant had gone to Goa for a wedding, an official said.

The prime accused is identified as Niranjan Bahelia (41), and two others as Ramchelwa Maku Paswan alias Gutia (26) and jeweller Jaiprakash Harishankar Rastogi (59), reported PTI.

Last month, Bahelia and Paswan allegedly broke open the cupboard in the bedroom of his employer`s house and fled, reported PTI.

Mumbai crime: CCTV camera footages

“Police scanned CCTV camera footages of the locality. Bahelia and Paswan were nabbed with the help of technical evidence. Rastogi was held for helping them sell the stolen jewellery. Another jeweller is wanted,” he said, reported PTI.

Diamond and gold jewellery worth Rs 1 core and Rs 1.45 lakh were recovered.

Mumbai crime: Other incidents

In another case, police have cracked a major theft case in which jewellery worth Rs 33 lakh was stolen from a house at Virar in Maharashtra`s Palghar district by arresting two persons, an official said on Tuesday, reported PTI.

The accused, Sonu Sheikh (43) and Motilal Soni, were arrested from Thane city, deputy commissioner of police, Virar (zone-III) Jayant Bajbale said, adding stolen jewellery worth Rs 27.65 lakh was recovered from their possession, reported PTI.

Thieves had entered the house at Dongarpada in Virar during the intervening night of April 24- 25, and made way with 470 gm of jewellery worth Rs 33 lakh when the family members were away. The Virar police had registered an FIR under sections 380 (theft), 454 (house breaking) and 457 (tress-passing to commit offence) of the Indian Penal Code on the basis of a complaint.

Working on various leads, including CCTV footage, technical and intelligence inputs, the probe team zeroed in on the main accused, Sheikh, said senior police inspector Vijay Pawar.

After getting a tip-off that the accused was staying in the Vasant Vihar locality, police laid a trap on April 27 and nabbed him from Manpada, reported PTI.

During interrogation, he told the police he had sold the stolen ornaments to one Motilal Soni, who sits outside jewellers` shops and deals with old and imitation jewellery. Police traced Soni and arrested him the same day, said the official.

The police said the main accused Sheikh was a habitual offender and facing a number of criminal cases at various police stations in Mumbai and Thane.

(With inputs from PTI)