Surat diamond factory heist was staged for insurance, owner, son and driver held: Police
Police say no diamonds were stolen from the Surat factory and that the owner, Devendra Chaudhary, had taken a Rs 20 crore insurance just eight days ago
3 min read
On Monday, the accused had lodged a complaint with Kapodara police alleging that polished and rough diamonds and cash, all worth Rs 32.53 crore – were stolen from his firm (Express Photo)In a twist in DK Sons diamond factory heist, the Surat police on Tuesday arrested the firm’s owner Devendra Chaudhary, his elder son Piyush Chaudhary and his driver Vikash Bishnoi for hatching a conspiracy and staging a theft in his firm for allegedly getting an insurance claim amount of Rs 20 crore.
Police said that no diamonds were stolen from the Surat factory and that Chaudhary had taken the insurance just eight days ago.
Police also arrested Chaudhary’s driver Vikash Bishnoi from Rajasthan in connection with the case.
On Monday, Chaudhary had lodged a complaint with Kapodara police station alleging that polished and rough diamonds and cash, all worth Rs 32.53 crore – were stolen from the metal safe of his firm, DK Sons, at Kapoorwadi area of Kapodara, Surat.
The theft has since become a topic of discussion in Surat, famous for its diamond industry.
According to police, Devendra Chaudhary, a resident of Punagam in Surat and native of Barmer district of Rajasthan, has been running two diamond firms – one Diamond King and another D K Sons – in the same building at Kapodara.
In his complaint, Chaudhary had alleged that some miscreants (around 4 to 5 men) broke open the main gate of his diamond firm between August 15 and 17, and decamped with the diamonds kept in a metal safe on the fourth floor of his manufacturing and polishing factory. While leaving the factory, they vandalised the CCTV cameras installed inside and outside the factory and took away the video recorder, the complaint said.
Acting on the complaint, the top police officials reached the spot and found the broken safe and CCTV cameras. Police also checked the CCTV footage of nearby properties and found that miscreants came in two auto rickshaws and escaped in the same autos.
Police sources said that the “theft” took place on Sunday night. During the probe, the police on Monday identified both the auto drivers. During questioning, they revealed that they were hired by passengers from different locations, one near Surat Railway Station and another from Varachha.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Surat Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Alok Kumar said, “We have found Devendra Chaudhary’s statements contradictory. A month ago, he kicked out a security guard, who had been working in the firm for the last 15 years, intentionally. During the probe, he also pointed fingers at the security guard to mislead the police.”
“During the probe it was revealed that he had taken insurance of Rs. 20 crores around eight days ago. We have checked his properties and found they were mortgaged. He has incurred huge debts,” Kumar said.
“He failed to produce the bills for the alleged stolen diamonds and gave contradictory statements. During a thorough interrogation, he confessed to hatching a conspiracy and staging the theft,” the DCP said.
Kumar said the owner hatched the plan and got his elder son, Piyush Chaudhary and driver, Vikash Bishnoi, also a native of Rajasthan, involved in the fabricated diamond theft story.
He said that a Crime Branch team has caught Vikash Bishnoi from Rajasthan, and they are on their way to Surat. Vikash had made arrangements for other men to commit “theft” in the DK Sons, the DCP said.
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