Pune: Old age home ex-staffer held for stealing jewellery

PUNE: The Hinjewadi police arrested the former caregiver of an old age home in Sus on October 18 on the charge of stealing gold ornaments worth Rs 2.35 lakh belonging to the owner of the facility.
Senior inspector Vivek Mugalikar of the Hinjewadi police told TOI that the suspect, Sanket Zade (20), had stolen the ornaments in the first week of October and sold them off to a jeweller in Mumbai. “We have recovered the stolen jewellery,” he said.
He said a 44-year-old woman running the old age home had approached the police on October 16 and filed a complaint of theft of gold ornaments worth Rs 2.35 lakh.
“During questioning, our team found that Zade had quit his job as a caregiver at the old age home on October 11. The old age home had given him a sendoff. While leaving he had told the residents that he would pray for them at Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai,” Mugalikar said.
He said the police team led by assistant inspector then zeroed down on Zade and took him into custody from his native place at Jintur taluka in Parbhani district.
“Initially, the suspect, Zade, did not admit to his involvement in the case. We found a receipt of a jeweller in Parbhani with him. It was then revealed that he had converted two gold rings into one ring from that jeweller,” Mugalikar said.
He said the suspect then admitted that he had sold off the ornaments to a jeweller in Mumbai.
“We have recovered the stolen jewellery from his possession,” Mugalikar said.
The police said further investigation was under way in the case. The suspect, Zade, had been arrested under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), said the police.