Thane: The owners of Goodwin Jewellers cleared out their stock of gold before abruptly downing shutters at their Shivaji Nagar branch in Ambarnath, said police sources.
Shivaji Nagar Police called five Goodwin staffers for their statements on Wednesday. Two staffers have so far recorded their statements.
One of them said for the last month, owner Suneel Kumar had not visited the Shivaji Nagar branch. The legal and certification work was handled by Dombivli branch. The second staffer told police in the last few months, no new gold ornaments were brought to the store.
When staffers asked about new ornaments, Suneel had said old stocks had to first be cleared and fresh stock would come in time for Diwali. But this did not trouble the staff very much and the thought that the store would close never crossed their minds.
Senior inspector MJ Bagga from the Shivaji Nagar police station said, “The Shivaji Nagar branch of the store is on a rental basis. We have the name and details of the shopowner. We have asked him to come here on Thursday and record statement.”
The owners of Goodwin Jewellers, brothers Suneel Kumar and Sudeesh Kumar live in Sereno Apartments, Palava, in Dombivli. Police sources said Suneel Kumar lives with wife and 3 kids in a 1,700 sqft flat, No. 201, registered in his name while Sudeesh Kumar lives with wife and 3 kids on the third floor of the same building, at No. 301, on a rental basis.
Preliminary probes show the Kumars had left with all their valuables, including a Mercedes and two other luxury cars, on October 20, a day before telling staff their stores would remain shut for two days. The Kumars’ neighbours, who did not wish to be named, said the Kumars had always seemed well-behaved.
They had held a meeting with their staffers days before they took flight. A neighbour said they had seen the Kumars pack huge bags into their three cars on two occasions. When asked why they were doing so, the Kumars said they were going to their hometown in Kerala and would return soon. In a video, Suneel and Sudeesh Kumar denied being in Canada.
They claimed their family was in Kerala and a few investors had already met them. Suneel said the Dombivli centre, sealed by police, could be reopened only after a court order. “We have assets and projects which would help them overcome the crisis,” he claimed.
They said some investors had come into the store and fought with the manager and staff, as part of a strategy to target them. Suneel said it was “a conspiracy against us by our enemy. The troublemakers would make videos of the fight with staffers and circulate it on social media,” said Suneel, in the video.
