Turbhe Refinery Manager Used Leg Implant, Hidden Pocket To Smuggle Gold Dust Worth ₹10 Lakh

Navi Mumbai: A refinery manager of a gold processing company in Turbhe MIDC allegedly exploited the metal rod implanted in his leg and a specially stitched secret pocket inside his trousers to smuggle out gold dust worth nearly Rs 10 lakh, police said. The accused, identified as Ajit Krishnakumar Pandey (43), was arrested after company officials caught him with stolen gold dust during a security check.

Accused Joined Firm In January

Pandey, a resident of Borivali, had joined Royal Chain Pvt. Ltd. as a refinery manager in January this year. According to the police, he allegedly stitched a concealed pocket inside his trousers to hide the gold dust before leaving the factory.

Investigators said Pandey had previously undergone surgery and had a metal rod implanted in his leg. Whenever he passed through the company's metal detector, the alarm would sound due to the implant, prompting security personnel to routinely allow him through. Police believe he took advantage of this to smuggle gold dust out of the premises without raising suspicion.

CCTV Monitoring Exposed Alleged Theft

Company officials reportedly grew suspicious of his movements and began monitoring him through CCTV surveillance. On July 23, security guards intercepted him while he was leaving the factory and recovered gold dust concealed in the hidden pocket during a frisking. He was immediately handed over to the Turbhe police.

A case has been registered against Pandey under Section 306 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He was produced before a court, which remanded him to police custody until Tuesday.

Police Probe Theft Over Several Months

Police suspect the accused had been stealing gold dust for the past three to four months. Preliminary estimates suggest he may have stolen around 80 grams of gold dust valued at approximately Rs 10 lakh. Investigators are now examining whether he was involved in similar thefts since joining the company.

"We suspect the accused began stealing gold dust within a few months of joining the company. The investigation is focused on establishing the total quantity of gold dust stolen and whether similar thefts were committed earlier," said Assistant Police Inspector Sameer Chaskar of Turbhe Police Station.

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