KOCHI: A man who fled with 240 grams of gold from a jewellery shop in Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district 18 years ago, was caught by the Kerala police from Mulund-Goregaon Link Road in Mumbai, where he was running a jewellery store.
Mahindra Hashba Yadav, 53, originally from Mumbai, was apprehended by a special investigation team from the Muvattupuzha police under the Ernakulam rural police and was brought to Kochi on Wednesday. Yadav, who stole the gold ornament from a store where he worked under the guise of purifying it, had also defrauded another individual of Rs 1.5 lakh.
The incident occured in 2006 when Yadav who was a trusted goldsmith at a jewellery store in Muvattupuzha. At the time of the incident, Yadav, who lived on the Mulund-Goregaon Link road in Mumbai, resided in the Muvattupuzha area with his family. One day he took 240 grams of gold from the store, claiming that he would purify it. Before his escape, Yadav also borrowed Rs 1.5 lakh from a friend by exploiting his closeness, police said.
As a trusted employee and the closest friend in the jewellery store, his friend never doubted Yadav's intentions, police said. Moreover, Yadav had built a strong relationships within the community having worked in the jewellery business for around 22 years, which allowed him to execute the crime without arousing suspicion. Once he had the gold and money in hand, Yadav packed his bags and fled the area with his family.
After receiving complaints from the jewellery store owner and the individual who lost money, the police initiated an investigation. However, the probe hit a dead end at Yadav’s hometown of Palwan in Sangli district, Mumbai, and they were unable to locate him. As a result, the investigation went cold, and the case files were closed in 2009. Meanwhile, Yadav had cunningly established himself as a jewellery store owner in a prosperous area, said a police officer.
The second phase of the incident started 18 years later, under the supervision of Ernakulam district police chief Vaibhav Saxena.
Saxena's team reopened the case and a fresh investigation was launched using modern scientific and technological methods, eventually leading to Yadav’s whereabouts being traced to Mumbai.
"After receiving a tip-off that Yadav was still in Mumbai, a four-member team from the Muvattupuzha police went to the location. After days of surveillance, the team identified his exact location and carried out a daring operation to apprehend him," said Mahin Salim, a sub-inspector of police in Muvattupuzha involved in the operation.
Yadav has been remanded after being presented in court.