In a high-profile burglary case, Pune Police arrested a 30-year-old former Indian Army soldier, Amarjeet Vinod Kumar Sharma, for stealing gold ornaments worth Rs14 lakh from an Army havildar’s residence in Wanowrie.
Sharma, declared a ‘deserter’ by the Indian Army nine months ago while posted in Jodhpur, used his Army ID card to gain access to the high-security Army quarters in Pune on March 7. Once inside, he broke the lock of a flat belonging to Havildar KM Vadivellu (35) and stole valuables before fleeing.
A native of Baghel village in Badsar tehsil, Hamirpur district, Himachal Pradesh, Sharma had been on the run across cities like Pune, Ambala, Delhi, Jodhpur, Belgaum, and Kolhapur.
Acting on clues from CCTV footage and technical analysis, a team led by Assistant Inspector Dhanaji Tone, under the supervision of DCP Rajkumar Shinde, traced Sharma’s mobile locations across multiple states. He was arrested on March 30.
Upon arrest, police seized:
162 grams of melted gold worth Rs13.77 lakh
Four mobile phones
Army ID card, Aadhaar card
Steel crowbar and other burglary tools
Sharma had mortgaged the stolen gold to repay debts, and police recovered it from two jewellers—one in Delhi and another in Himachal Pradesh. On April 1, Karan Dagar (25), a jeweller from Delhi, was arrested for purchasing the stolen gold.
Legal Proceedings & Ongoing Probe:
Both Sharma and Dagar were remanded to police custody till April 7 by a Pune court. During interrogation, Sharma also confessed to another burglary in Himachal Pradesh in 2024. Police are now verifying whether he was involved in other thefts across India.
Senior Inspector Satyaji Admane and Inspector Govind Jadhav are leading further investigations.
