Nagpur woman booked for selling mother-in-law's 53 g gold to buy an iPhone

Police in Nagpur's Shantinagar area have registered a case against a woman accused of selling her mother-in-law's gold ornaments, weighing 53 grams, and using the proceeds to buy an Apple iPhone.

The accused is Granthali Akash Verma. The complainant is her mother-in-law, Radha Verma, who approached Shantinagar police station after the ornaments were not returned.

The theft came to light when Radha Verma began preparing for a trip to Shirdi for darshan. She opened the cupboard at home to take out some money for the journey and a few pieces of jewellery to carry along. The gold she had kept there was gone. For a woman who had saved these ornaments over a lifetime of hard work, the discovery was a severe shock.

The missing items are said to include a mangalsutra of about 30 grams, a necklace of 13 grams and other ornaments of roughly 10 grams. The whole lot is valued at about Rs 2.5 lakh.

After searching the house and asking family members, Radha Verma suspected her daughter-in-law. The suspicion came quickly, as there had been an earlier suspicion or case of theft involving the younger woman. Radha Verma took her into confidence and questioned her directly. According to the complaint, Granthali admitted she had taken the jewellery and promised to give it back soon.

She did not. Despite repeated requests and pleading from her mother-in-law, the ornaments never reappeared, and Radha Verma finally went to the police.

During close questioning, the woman is alleged to have confessed that she sold the jewellery outside and used the money to buy an expensive iPhone. The episode has caused a stir in the neighbourhood, and the family is said to be in considerable distress.

On the basis of the complaint, Shantinagar police have booked Granthali Akash Verma and taken up further investigation. Officers are trying to establish where the gold was sold, how much it fetched, and what the details are of the phone bought with the money. The investigation is continuing.