SSC examinee, sibling stole jewellery to buy motorbikes in Surat

SURAT: The two siblings — 17 and 16-year-old brother duo — who were detained by the police for stealing jewellery worth Rs 5 lakh from a showroom, wanted to make quick money to buy motorcycles. Kadodara police on Wednesday arrested the boys’ father, a textile shop owner and their mother, a home maker for hiding the stolen jewellery and helping the accused juveniles.
While the boys were allowed to go home on Wednesday evening after serving them a notice to remain present in court, their parents — Ruparam Kumawat and his wife Indradevi — have been kept in Kadodara police station lock up.
The younger sibling is a Class X student who appeared for the first paper of his board exams on Tuesday, a day after the duo carried out the theft.
According to the police, the boys planned the theft after the family received an e-invite to visit Monica Jewellers, which opened the third store in Kadodara in January. The invitations were sent to patrons on mobile phones.
“The boys’ parents had purchased jewellery in the past from another branch of the store and hence, their phone number was stored in the shop’s data. The teenagers visited the new store and got tempted to steal the jewellery," B D Shah, police inspector, LCB, Surat rural police told TOI.
Police arrested the parents for allegedly hiding the stolen jewellery. While escaping with the stolen jewellery, the siblings forgot their moped outside the store and the father went to the place to collect the vehicle.
The duo confessed to the police that they stole Rs 4.5 lakh in cash from a textile unit's office in Vareli a few months ago. However, no offence was registered in that case.
The police will produce the boys in a juvenile court, while the parents will be produced in a separate court. “The police will seek custody of the parents to investigate their involvement in the crime. In case of the minors, the court will take appropriate decision,” said R S Patel, police inspector, Kadodara.