Pune: Debt-ridden jeweller fakes robbery at his shop; his kin among three arrested

Pointing a gun at Dahiwal, they looted 220 grams of gold, estimated at Rs 20 lakhs, and fled on a two-wheeler. An FIR was lodged at Nanded city police station for robbery while the crime branch also initiated a parallel investigation.

Probe confirmed that a toy gun was used for commission of the crime. Further, based on clues obtained from analysis of multiple videos captured by CCTV cameras around the crime scene and other locations, police identified the three suspects allegedly involved in the robbery.

Police nabbed Dilip Subhash Mandlik (32) of Dighi, Rajesh alias Raju Galphade (40) and Sham Sheshrao Shinde (37), both from Landewadi slums in Bhosari on Sunday. Police also recovered the ornaments they had allegedly looted from Dahiwal’s jewellery shop. A court sent the three accused to police custody till April 23.

Meanwhile, during investigation, police found that the ornaments recovered from the suspects were fake and not gold. Police also found that Dilip Mandlik was a family member of Dahiwal.

Police said Dahiwal faced severe losses in share market and jewellery business, due to which he had taken loans from some businessmen, who were asking him to return the money.

As Dahiwal was unable to make the repayments, he allegedly asked Mandlik to come to his shop along with his aides, attack him and his staff and rob the fake ornaments kept near the counter and display. He paid Rs 10,000 as advance to Mandlik and promised to give Rs 2 lakhs more after the commission of the fake robbery.

Accordingly, Mandlik and his two aides staged the robbery on the afternoon of April 15. Subsequently, Dahiwal lodged a false complaint at the Nanded police station that gold ornaments worth Rs 20 lakh were robbed from his shop.

Senior police inspector Atul Bhos of Nanded City police station said Dahilwal has confessed to his involvement in the crime and that he would also be arrested as per legal procedure.