Gujarat: 206 Tolas Of Gold Worth ₹2.67 Crore Missing From Surat Safe Vault; Owners Among 4 Booked

Surat: A major theft has come to light in Gujarat's Surat after 206 tolas of gold worth Rs 2.67 crore allegedly went missing from customers' lockers at a private safe deposit facility. Police have registered a case against four people, including the three owners of Nakshatra Safe Vault and a helper, on charges of criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy.

A video shared on X by Gujarati news portal Desh Gujarat showed visuals from the locker facility. Several customers can be seen checking on their belongings as the facility came under the scanner over theft case.

4 Booked In Alleged Theft Case

The accused have been identified as Harsh Diyora, his brother Harikrishna Diyora, their father Mahesh Diyora, and Manilal, who allegedly assisted in breaking open customers' lockers. The case was registered at Singanpor Police Station following a complaint by builder Ramesh Jivraj Vaghani, who had been renting a locker at Nakshatra Safe Vault since 2020 by paying an annual fee of Rs 1,700.

According to the complaint, Vaghani had stored 63 tolas of gold jewellery worth around Rs 81.90 lakh in the locker. On July 11, when his family visited the vault to retrieve jewellery for a family function, they allegedly found the locker empty.

Vaghani claimed that when he sought access to the CCTV footage, Harsh Diyora refused to provide recordings beyond a certain period, allegedly stating that the CCTV hard disk backup was not functioning. He further alleged that Diyora behaved aggressively when questioned about the missing valuables.

More Victims Identified

During the investigation, police discovered that five other customers had also reported missing jewellery from their lockers. The affected customers were identified as Chirag Goti, who allegedly lost 62 tolas of gold, Rajesh Pipaliya (49 tolas), Utsav Savani (16 tolas), Jitendra Balar (13 tolas) and Ramesh Savji Vaghani (3 tolas).

In total, police suspect that 206 tolas of gold belonging to six customers, valued at approximately Rs 2.67 crore, was stolen from the vault. Preliminary investigations indicate that Manilal allegedly helped the Diyora family open customers' lockers and remove the jewellery. Cops are examining how the lockers were accessed and whether the thefts took place over an extended period.

Probe Into Vault Security

As news of the alleged theft spread, several customers rushed to the vault to check their lockers and withdraw their valuables, raising concerns about the security of privately operated safe deposit facilities.

Police have booked all four accused under relevant sections pertaining to criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy. Officials said the investigation is ongoing, and further action will be taken based on the evidence collected. Authorities are also verifying whether more customers may have been affected by the alleged theft.