Gondia police recover 26 tola gold from Indore after Rs 40 lakh Civil Lines theft; two accused flee

The Local Crime Branch (LCB) of Gondia Police has solved a major theft in the Civil Lines area of Gondia city. Jewellery worth Rs 40 lakh had been stolen from a locked house. According to police, the accused went to their in-laws' home in Madhya Pradesh after the theft to dispose of the loot. Police raided Dev-Guradiya in Indore and recovered 26 tola of gold and a silver coin from the accused's mother-in-law.

The theft took place between October 14 and 15 at the house of Amol Shriram Mungmode, a resident of Civil Lines, while the family was away. The thieves broke open the locker in a cupboard and took two gold bangles, a gold rani haar, a gold mani haar, a gold gop with a locket, a gold mangalsutra, a gold coin and a gold ring. In all, 26 tola of gold jewellery and a silver coin were stolen.

On the directions of Superintendent of Police Gorakh Bhamre, a dog squad and fingerprint experts examined the spot. Following this, suspicion fell on Lakhan Singh of Rajasthan (Udaipur), a recorded interstate thief.

Technical surveillance showed police that the accused was hiding at his in-laws' house in Indore right after the theft. A team led by LCB in-charge Revchand Singanjude reached Indore on October 17 and, together with local police, surrounded the house.

On seeing the police, main accused Lakhan Singh and his associate Dilip Singh managed to escape. However, a search of the house turned up a black pouch kept with the mother-in-law, Balveer Kaur Singh. It held 26 tola of gold, including a rani haar, bangles, a mangalsutra and rings.

Police said teams have been sent out to look for the absconding accused and that both will soon be behind bars. Neither has been arrested so far.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Gorakh Bhamre and Additional Superintendent of Police Abhay Dongre. It was executed by the LCB team, including Police Inspector Revchand Singanjude, Assistant Police Inspectors Amarjeet Khade and Abhishek Jangamwar.