Mumbai: An employee of a gold factory unit stole 1kg gold ornaments worth Rs28.50 lakh from a jeweller, as an act of revenge for not being given a higher salary. The accused was arrested on Monday and Borivali police recovered all the gold. The accused was booked under relevant sections of the IPC for theft.
According to police sources, on June 12, manager of a goldsmith’s factory called the owner, informing him of the theft at the premises. The manager, Momin Shaikh, informed the owner that someone had decamped with 1kg of gold kept in the locker while he was asleep.
Police said the owner used to keep the spare keys with Shaikh as he looked after the affairs in his absence. Borivali police were informed of the incident, who reached the spot in minutes.
Five people used to work at the factory and police questioned all the employees, except Safitullah Gayani. When police checked the CCTV camera footage, they found Gayani had tampered with the CCTV cameras and pasted glue over it. He was also seen leaving with a black duffle bag, said police.
Based on the evidences, police started investigating the case. Since Gayani did not take a phone, they checked his Call Data Records (CDR) and pulled up numbers he frequently contacted.
Police tracked his friend’s phone and traced Gayani at Pune, who was later seen on his way to Hyderabad. A police team was sent to Hyderabad, where they lay in wait for Gayani.
“He was arrested from Hyderabad bus stand and we recovered all the stolen gold. Gayani did not get any time to sell the gold as he was still travelling. He has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for theft,” said a police officer.
During the probe, Gayani said he stole the gold to take revenge on the factory owner, who refused to give him a salary hike. Gayani was employed at the factory unit for eight months and had no past criminal record, said police.
