Watchman robs Rs 80 lakh, offers Rs 11,000 at dargah

Mumbai: Officials from the Mumbai Crime Branch (Unit II) have arrested a watchman who fled with Rs 80 lakh worth of jewellery from his employer's shop. Investigations reveal that the accused fled to Ajmer after the crime and offered a chadar at the famous dargah there for completing his crime successfully.


The crime
According to officials, on November 27, Devraj Mishra committed the theft at Mateshwari Jewellers at Dhanji Street in Zaveri Bazaar. Mishra, the night watchman robbed the shop to exact revenge against the owner.

"He offered the day watchman Anil Kumar Mishra medicine for his cough. However, Anil Kumar didn't know that Devraj had adulterated the medicine causing Anil Kumar to fall unconscious giving Devraj the perfect opportunity to perform the robbery," said an officer from the Crime Branch.

Devraj fled with valuables worth Rs 80,60,000 from the jewellery shop, and a case of theft was registered against him at the L T Marg police station.  

The booty
Meanwhile, authorities from Unit II started a parallel investigation into the theft and began their manhunt for the accused. "Acting on a tip-off, Devraj was finally arrested from Masjid Bundar station by constable Santosh Shelar and Deepak Kadghe yesterday. We also found 900 gm of gold that he wanted to sell," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy.

Cops further recovered 1,550 gram of gold and 11 kg of silver from Devraj amounting to Rs 72,64,000.

"Devraj tried to sell the valuables, but nobody was ready to buy the jewellery," said Nishikant Patil, senior inspector of police, Unit II of the crime branch. However, he added that Devraj had managed to sell a small amount of the gold and with the money he fled to Ajmer. "He offered a Rs 11,000 chadar at Dargah Sharif.

Later, he returned to the city and went to his girlfriend's house in Pydhonie and dug up a pit where he hid the stolen loot," added Patil.