Interstate gang busted, one arrested in gold theft case in Ratlam

Indore: Ratlam police busted an interstate gang and arrested one of its members from Uttar Pradesh in a case of cheating a retired schoolteacher of her gold jewellery.Police have also arrested a jeweller accused of purchasing and melting the stolen ornaments, recovering molten gold worth around Rs 3.10 lakh.

Another accused remains absconding.The incident had taken place on June 7 when 72-year-old Mohini Raichandani, a resident of Mitra Niwas Colony, was walking to a gurdwara in Shastri Nagar.Near Shakti Medical lane, two men struck up a conversation with her and warned that it was unsafe to wear gold jewellery as thieves were active in the area. Trusting their advice, she removed her gold bangles and mangalsutra and placed them inside her bag.A short distance later, the two men again approached her, offering to carry her bag safely and escort her ahead. Believing them, the elderly woman handed over the bag, following which the duo fled. The bag contained the gold ornaments, a keypad mobile phone and Rs 2,000 in cash.A case was registered at Station Road police station under relevant sections of the BNS, following which investigators examined CCTV footage from the area.

The footage helped police identify the suspects, whose images were circulated among police units across several states.Technical analysis and interstate coordination led investigators to identify the accused as Yusuf alias Mota of Meerut and Naushad Shah of Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand.Acting on intelligence inputs, a Ratlam Police team arrested Yusuf from Shravasti district in Uttar Pradesh on June 29.

During interrogation, he allegedly confessed that he and Naushad had committed the offence before selling the stolen jewellery to a jeweller in Amroha district.Further investigation led to the arrest of jeweller Divakar Verma, who allegedly purchased the stolen ornaments and melted them. Police recovered molten gold valued at approximately Rs 3.10 lakh from his possession. Additional charges have been invoked in the case based on the investigation.Yusuf, 30, is also reported to have an Arms Act case registered against him in Shravasti district.