Man who fled after with 1.125 kg of stolen gold worth Rs 73 lakh from Rajasthan

A man accused of stealing 1.125 kilograms of gold worth Rs 73 lakh from the hallmarking unit where he works has been arrested in Rajasthan, according to a police statement issued on Thursday.

The culprit, identified as Kanaram alias Praveen Jat, fled with the gold from the Lalbaug facility. He was later arrested by officials in Rajasthan, according to a Kalachowkie police station official, reported PTI.

According to the report, the officer explained that CCTV footage showed the suspect departing the area in a taxi. In order to avoid capture, he trashed his SIM card and often changed his mobile phone number. In addition, he moved every two to four days to escape notice.

“CCTV footage showed he took a taxi and fled. He threw away his SIM card and was constantly changing his mobile phone number to avoid getting caught. He was also changing his location every two to four days,” the official told PTI.

Following extensive technical surveillance, authorities managed to track and apprehend the suspect. He now faces charges under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the official further told PTI.

In another unrelated incident, a revenue official was arrested for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe in Navi Mumbai. According to a PTI report, the Anti-Corruption Bureau sleuths caught the official red-handed while accepting a bribe from a complainant over land records.

Deputy Superintendent of Police of ACB (Navi Mumbai), Shivraj Mhetre told PTI that the accused, identified as Kiran Gore, aged 48, worked as a revenue assistant at the Panvel tehsil office.

The DSP further said that Gore had allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh from the complainant to facilitate the conversion of his two ancestral properties from Category II to Category I under the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, reported PTI.

According to the report, the man had allegedly negotiated and brought down the bribe amount to Rs 80,000 and approached the ACB who laid a trap to arrest the official.

The ACB officials intercepted and arrested Gore on Thursday evening while he was accepting Rs 40,000 as part of the bribe. He has been booked under Prevention of Corruption Act at the Panvel police station.