NAGPUR: A 39-year-old woman fooled Hudkeshwar police earlier this week into believing that her nephew was her husband, so the actual husband, who is a cardiac patient, would not get arrested. After the arrest formalities and registration of offences had been completed, a co-accused in the case told police they had nabbed the wrong man. Now, the cops are looking for the real husband, and have also booked the entire family for helping perpetrate the fraud.
The cops had booked a jeweller and his wife for purchasing stolen gold from burglars, who were later arrested by the cops. When the cops reached the jewellers house, his wife presented her nephew Sachin as her husband. The cops had arrested Sachin and processed his case.
The family was exposed since Sachin was exposed by the burglars already in custody. “The man (Pradeep Hathagade) who had taken the stolen gold from the burglar (Sanmet Dabhne) and sold it to the jeweller pointed out that Sachin was not the jeweller,” said a police source. “We will now discharge Sachin from one offence and again arrest him for masquerading as the jeweller,” said the cop.
The woman, from whom cops had recovered 28 tolas stolen gold during investigation, was also arrested for her alleged complicity in case. Her husband, a jeweller, had purchased the gold from Hathagade, who had taken it from Dabhne, a notorious burglar. Dabhne had stolen the gold from the residence of Parate family at New Mahalaxmi Nagar on New Narsala Road on February 9. He had also melted the stolen valuables and turned them into ‘biscuits’ which were seized by Hudkeshwar police.
Hudkeshwar police team comprising head constable Deepak More, naik constable Rajesh Mote and others under assistant PI Swapnil Bhujbal and Inspector Pratap Bhosale had trapped Dabhne while on his way back to the city from Shirdi a couple of days after he committed the burglary. Police had arrested two of his accomplices too. Their custodial interrogation had led the cops to the jeweller and his wife.
Apart from burglary, Hudkeshwar police have now registered fresh offence against the jeweller couple, their nephews Sachin Khedekar and his brother Manoj. The jeweller’s elder brother too was made a co-accused for misleading the cops.
Police said the woman had to be taken into custody as the family was not cooperating and the husband is still on the run, even though the burglars have named him clearly. “The jeweller’s wife had claimed his nephew (Sachin) was her husband, which was supported by the rest of the family members, and hence all were booked,” said a cop.