The Mumbai Police have apprehended a domestic help who had allegedly stolen three gold biscuits, weighing 319 grams and worth Rs. 16.32 lakh from his employer's residence at Grant Road, within 24 hours.
The incident came to light when the owner of the house, Raj Indra Rathod, approached the Gamdevi police on July 14 about the gold biscuits going missing from his house when his sister was in the hospital tending to a relative who had met with an accident.
Rathod suspected that his domestic help, identified as Chotu Laxmi Mand, may have committed the theft and conveyed the same to the police. However, Mand went missing the same day the case was registered.
The police suspect that Mand may have learned about the FIR being registered and his being a suspect in the case, and hence went on the run.
"Mand continued to work at the residence even after committing the robbery, while pretending to be nonchalant for over four days. After the case was registered, he went missing on July 14," said senior police inspector Dattaram Girap, Gamdevi police station.
Acting on the complaint, the police started tracing Mand on the basis of the information provided by Rathod. The investigating team identified his most frequented locations and traced him with the help of footage of several Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras, as well as technical investigation. At the same time, clues about his current location were verified with the help of local informants.
"Mand was traced to a friend's place in Gokuldham Colony at Goregaon, where he was hiding, and placed under arrest. All the stolen booty was recovered from him," Girap added.
Mand has been charged with theft committed by an employee under the Indian Penal Code. He was earlier remanded in police custody for two days and was later sent to judicial custody, officer said.
