He thought CCTV was off: Belagavi jeweller’s Rs 60-lakh fake robbery plot busted in 4 days

Khade Bazar Inspector Mahantesh Dyamannavar and his team launched an investigation, sending forensic officials, fingerprint experts, and a sniffer dog squad to the scene.

“Vernekar claimed that gold ornaments worth Rs 60 lakh were missing even before conducting a proper inventory check,” a police officer said. “However, at that initial stage, there was no reason to suspect him.”

When investigators asked for CCTV footage from inside the shop, Vernekar claimed he had turned the system off.

“When we asked why he had switched it off, he claimed he had been turning it off for the past four days to prevent a short circuit during frequent power fluctuations,” the officer explained.

“We then reviewed footage from nearby surveillance cameras and spotted a Mahindra Scorpio arriving near the shop around 1.45 am on July 17. The occupants broke open the door within 150 seconds and drove away by 1.49 am,” the officer added.

Timing raises suspicion

The footage raised more questions than answers for the investigating team.

“How could anyone break the door in under 150 seconds? Even if they did, how could they steal the ornaments in just a minute and a half? And why would they leave other valuable ornaments behind when there was no immediate threat?” the officer wondered.

Despite Vernekar’s claim that his internal cameras were powered down, officers seized the digital video recorder (DVR) for technical examination.

Unluckily for Vernekar, while he assumed the system was off, the camera was still recording, and it captured the turning point of the investigation.

“The CCTV footage showed Vernekar packing up and taking the gold ornaments home with him the previous night. The people who broke open the door in the early hours stole nothing; they simply left,” the officer said.

The police subsequently executed a search warrant at Vernekar’s house and recovered the missing gold hidden in the storage compartment of his two-wheeler.

Attempt to pocket gold

Explaining the motive, the police said Vernekar, who has operated the jewellery shop since 2010, was also involved in gold pawning.

“With gold prices surging, Vernekar hatched a staged theft plan targeting ornaments pledged by customers who had not collected formal documentation or receipts. A staged burglary would have allowed him to pocket the gold while claiming it was lost in a break-in,” the officer explained.

Belagavi City Police Commissioner Borase Bhushan Gulabrao emphasised that filing a false police report is a serious offence.

“We will file a chargesheet against Vernekar for providing false information. We are also investigating whether he was operating an illegal moneylending business,” Commissioner Gulabrao said. “Special teams have been formed to track down and arrest his four accomplices who arrived in the Scorpio.”

The police confirmed they have recovered 519.8 grams of gold, 21 grams of silver, and Rs 2.83 lakh in cash from Vernekar’s possession.