Jeweller Fakes Shop Break-In, Held With Rs 65.95-Lakh Valuables

Belagavi: What initially appeared to be a case of theft at a jewelery shop in Belagavi City turned out to be an attempt to commit theft by the shop owner himself, with the city police arresting him and seizing cash, gold and silver ornaments.

On July 17, Tilakwadi resident Krishnanand Vishwanath Vernekar approached the Khadebazar police, claiming that thieves had broken into his jewelery shop in Ramdev Galli the previous night. He claimed that the thieves broke open the shop and made off with cash, gold and silver jewellery.

Based on the complaint, Khadebazar police registered a case under Sections 331(4) and 305(A) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and initiated an investigation.

However, during the course of the investigation, investigators noted inconsistencies in the complainant’s version of events that raised doubts.

While the police were interrogating Vernekar, it was alleged that during the investigation, he revealed that he had taken the valuables and money from the jewelery shop. He is said to have loaded them into the storage compartment of his red Honda Activa scooter and taken them away before filing a fake theft complaint.

Police seized 519.8 grams of gold ornaments worth Rs 62.60 lakh, 31 grams of silver ornaments worth Rs 6,000, cash of Rs 2.83 lakh and scooters worth Rs 45,000. The total value of the recovered property is estimated at Rs 65.95 lakh.

The case was solved by a team led by Khadebazar Police Inspector MK Dhamannavar and PSI SR Muttatti with the help of station personnel, fingerprint office, technical wing and Scene of Crime (SOCO) team. Commissioner of Police Bhushan Gulabrao Borase praised the investigation team for quickly solving the case.