After 20 years, doctor to get back stolen valuables

Vadodara: An ENT specialist had to wait for two decades to get back some of the valuables that were stolen from his clinic in 1999.
A local court last week passed an order that two silver coins weighing 60 grams, a Rs 5 coin minted in 1989 and a calculator that were recovered from the thief Pravin alias Akshay Parmar be returned to the complainant Dr Sanjay Joshi.
The court of chief judicial magistrate J G Vadodaria ordered closing the case and abating Parmar as he had passed away way back in September 2002.
Parmar had broken into Joshi’s clinic – Shruti Hospital – near Sangam crossroads in Harni in 1999. He had escaped with Rs 2,000 cash, two silver coins, calculator and medical equipment following which the doctor had lodged an FIR with Vadodara city police. The price of silver coins were then around Rs 460 while it would be valued around Rs 2,650 now.
The detection of crime branch had arrested Parmar few days later along with stolen items during which he had admitted of committing burglary in Joshi’s clinic and some other places. When the doctor was called to the police station, he identified the recovered valuables which belonged to him. Some days later, Parmar was released on bail against a surety of Rs 5,000 and a chargesheet was filed against him.
The trial started in September last year, but Parmar did not remain present during the hearing. The court then issued summons to him, but these were returned to the court with a copy of Parmar’s death certificate. It then came to light that Parmar had passed away in September 2002.
When TOI contacted Joshi, he said, “It is a pitiable condition because the justice was denied to me as well as the thief due to the delay. The accused passed away 17 years back and it came to notice now .” Joshi had newly started his practice when the burglary had occurred. “I used to keep consultation fees in my clinic then and the cash and other valuables stolen were important for me then,” Joshi added.