New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) A manager of a jewellery showroom in Delhi’s Karol Bagh, who allegedly decamped with nearly 4 kgs of gold ornaments, was arrested from a hotel in Ooty in Tamil Nadu, police said on Wednesday.
Manoj (36) was arrested after an extensive interstate manhunt spanning over 3,200 kilometres and multiple states, they said.
A resident of Pratap Nagar in Gulabi Bagh, Manoj had been working at the Vishal Chains showroom since 2014 and was responsible for managing around 70 to 80 kilograms of gold jewellery, including antique pieces.
“He allegedly fled with nearly 4 kg of gold in late June after developing a severe addiction to online gambling,” an officer said.
“The incident came to light on July 1 when a complaint was received at Karol Bagh police station reporting a massive theft from the showroom,” the officer said.
Manoj had stopped reporting for work after June 26, and on June 29, his wife reported him missing at Gulabi Bagh police station. A stock audit revealed a shortfall of 3,980 grams of jewellery, all of which was accessible to Manoj, following which an FIR was registered on July 3, the officer said.
A joint team was constituted to trace the absconding accused. Teams searched for him in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
“The team faced many challenges, including local resistance, language barriers and a lack of digital leads. The breakthrough came in Agra, where Manoj was seen purchasing a second-hand phone. He had parked his motorcycle at Agra Cantt station before taking a train to Bengaluru. In Bengaluru, he again appeared on CCTV while buying another mobile device,” the officer said.
Subsequent leads took the team to Chennai and eventually to Ooty, where Manoj was tracked to a hotel. On July 20, he was apprehended from his room.
“During interrogation, Manoj admitted to stealing and selling nearly 4 kg of antique gold over the past few years. He confessed to using local Karol Bagh goldsmiths to melt or sell the jewellery under the pretext of approval orders and converted the proceeds into cash to fund his online gambling addiction,” the officer added.
The police said Manoj began gambling during the 2011 Cricket World Cup and became deeply involved with online betting platforms particularly during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
From his possession, police recovered 100 grams of gold, Rs 2.3 lakh in cash and two mobile phones. Efforts are underway to trace the remaining stolen gold. PTI BM NB
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