THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Mahindra Yadav, a 58-year-old jeweller with three shops in Mumbai, would never have imagined being picked up by the Kerala police for a case dating back 18 years. However, a minor lapse by his niece led to his arrest last month for stealing 240g of gold from a Malayali jeweller in 2006.
Mahindra, originally from a village in Sangli district, Maharashtra, worked as a goldsmith in Muvattupuzha from a young age. He was trusted by local jewellers, and one of them named Venugopal had entrusted Mahindra with 240g of gold for polishing.
Mahindra disappeared with the gold the next day. He had also borrowed around Rs 1.5 lakh from another businessman. “The police team tried to trace Mahindra. The investigation continued for three years, but in 2009, the case was temporarily closed as the accused could not be found,” says Muvattupuzha Sub-Inspector Mahin Salim.
Last year, Venugopal filed a petition at Navakerala Sadas, requesting the case be reopened. Ernakulam Rural Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena took note of the unsolved case and relaunched a manhunt. A team led by sub-inspectors Mahin and P C Jaykumar, along with senior civil police officers Anas K A and Bibil Mohan, was formed to track Mahindra.
“During a discussion, Venugopal mentioned a Facebook account suspected to be of Mahindra’s niece, who was with him in Muvattupuzha until 2006,” Mahin recalls. “Through one of her local friends, Unni, we learned that she had posted a photograph of Mahindra on Facebook.”
Next, the police cyber cell traced the mobile number used to register the Facebook account. Subsequent investigation also uncovered GST details of Mahindra’s shops in Mumbai.
“We obtained a warrant and our four-member team headed to Mumbai. We spotted him at a jewellery shop with his son and employees. We took him into custody immediately and informed the local police,” says Mahin.
Soon as they left Mumbai, Mahin received threatening phone calls, some claiming to be from Mumbai Police and others from thugs. “We were concerned that Mumbai police might track our location and impede our journey. So, once we reached the Mumbai-Pune Highway, we turned off our mobile phones, including Mahindra’s. We switched them back on only after reaching the Pune airport,” the officer says.
The operation didn’t end there. Mahin decided to fly Mahindra to Kochi from Pune via Bengaluru, while the rest of the team travelled by road. “At Bengaluru airport, during the check-in procedure, Mahindra tried to flee. A search op was launched with the help of CISF personnel, and Mahindra was eventually found in an airport restroom,” he recalls.
Mahindra was brought to Muvattupuzha, produced before the court, and remanded to judicial custody. As theft and cheating are compoundable offenses, Mahindra’s son agreed to compensate for the stolen gold and repay the borrowed money. After three days in jail, Mahindra was granted bail.
“It was the stolen money that helped Mahindra establish his business in Mumbai. Now that he’s wealthy, he managed to settle the case. However, we successfully completed the task assigned to us,” Mahin smiles.
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