Ghaziabad police on Friday arrested two more individuals, including a woman, in connection with the Rs 4-crore jewellery heist at a Tanishq showroom. The accused, each carrying a reward of Rs 25,000, had nearly 970 grams of gold, a two-wheeler, and Rs 5,000 in cash seized from their possession.
The Heist Details
The theft took place on the morning of June 12 at a Tanishq showroom in Raj Nagar District Centre (RDC). Nitin Verma, a 23-year-old salesman, was initially identified as the main suspect. CCTV footage captured two accused breaking into the store using the manager’s keys and meticulously grabbing the most expensive ornaments within a 25-minute window.
Arrests and Recoveries
On Monday, police had arrested Verma, his girlfriend Kajal Verma (22), and his father Sanjay Verma (52), but the search continued for other accused. On Friday, police arrested Chitranjan Kumar alias Chintu alias Varun (25) and his girlfriend Sonia (31).
Modus Operandi
Investigation revealed that Verma threw a party for his coworkers the night before the theft, where he convinced showroom manager Gautam Raj to drink heavily. Once Raj was intoxicated, Verma stole his keys under the guise of dropping him home.
According to DCP (City and Trans-Hindon) Dhawal Jaiswal, Kumar told cops that he and Verma had originally planned to commit the theft at night, but Verma became too intoxicated, forcing them to move their plan to the morning. Around 7 am that day, while Kumar and Verma raided the showroom, Kajal acted as a look-out outside the store.
Kumar said that Verma had offered him a 25% cut of the stolen ornaments in exchange for helping him commit the theft.
Disposal of Stolen Goods
Police said Verma and his father sold some of the jewellery, while Verma and Kumar melted a portion and divided it among themselves. “This jewellery and melted gold that were recovered on Friday are from the same theft, which came into Kumar and Sonia’s share. The equipment with which the gold was melted was also given to him by Verma,” the senior police officer added.
