Jeweller booked for stealing 2 kg gold from wholesaler

The theft came to light when the wholesaler noticed that some jewellery was missing from his shop and entries in his sales, purchase and stock registers did not match

MUMBAI: The LT Marg police have booked a Dombivli-based jeweller for allegedly stealing around 2,077 grams of gold worth over ₹1 crore from a wholesaler in Kalbadevi.

Jeweller booked for stealing 2 kg gold from wholesaler

According to the police, the accused Suman Bera is the owner of Aditi Jewellers in Dombivli while the complainant, Lalit Kawadiya, has a wholesale shop in Dhanji Street. Bera visited the Kawadiya’s shop several times in 2023-24 for purchases and stole some ornaments each time.

The thefts came to light in February 2024, when Kawadiya, a resident of Malad, noticed that some jewellery was missing from his shop and entries in his sales, purchase and stock registers did not match. Closer scrutiny of the records and CCTV footage showed two of his customers – Chhagan Singh Rajput and Suman Bera – were lifting items from his store during their visits.

Kawadiya, 42, immediately lodged a complaint against Rajput, whose arrest led to the recovery of around 700 grams of gold. But since he knew Bera for over three years, he confronted the jeweller on his next visit to the shop.

“When confronted, Bera accepted that he had stolen around 2-2.5 kg of gold, mortgaged it with Muthoot Finance and purchased a flat and a shop,” said a police officer. He also issued an apology for the thefts in writing and via a video statement, the officer added.

Bera subsequently took Kawadiya to his store in Dombivli and gave 140 grams of gold jewellery, saying he would return the remaining jewellery within the next eight days. But he later started avoiding the wholesaler’s calls.

On February 11, Kawadiya filed a complaint about Bera’s alleged thefts at the LT Marg police station after verifying that he had indeed mortgaged 2,077 grams of gold with Muthoot Finance.

Based on the complaint, Bera has been booked under section 380 (theft in dwelling house) of the Indian Penal Code.