The Kadapa I-Town Police have cracked a gold jewellery theft case within five hours of the crime. The police have arrested one person and seized jewellery weighing 2.66 kg worth ₹1.2 crore and ₹45,000 in cash from the possession of the accused.
The accused has been identified as Shaik Masood, who resides in Nakash area of Kadapa. According to police, Masood, who has been working as a clerk in the Mehtab Jewellery for two decades, has gained the confidence of the shop owner, Shaik Mastan.
Masood had given surety for a loan taken by one of his relatives. The accused has been facing financial hardship of late as his relative had defaulted the loan. The creditors have been pestering Masood to repay the loan. Seeking a way out, he decided to steal jewellery from his owner’s shop, the police said.
On Wednesday (May 11), Masood and Mastan downed the shutters of the shop before going for lunch. Masood allegedly returned in a while and opened the shop using a duplicate key. He allegedly decamped with the jewellery and cash, the police said.
Acting on a complaint lodged by the shop owner, a police team led by I-Town Circle Inspector T.V. Satyanarayana swung into action. The police team found the accused proceeding towards Tirupati in a bus.
“A police team intercepted the bus at Balapalle check-post and arrested the accused. Ornaments and cash were recovered from his possession,” Superintendent of Police K.K.N. Anburajan told the media on Thursday.
He also presented appreciation letters and cash rewards to the police team for cracking the case in just five hours.
