Rajkot, Gujarat – In a swift breakthrough, the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) has solved a high-value jewellery theft from a locker at Rajkot District Cooperative Bank, arresting bank employee Ashok Kotak, who allegedly committed the crime to clear his financial debts.
The case came to light on May 10, when Jay Talaviya visited the bank to check his locker. To his shock, he found 1.28kg of gold (worth Rs51.27 lakh) and 3kg of silver missing. He immediately filed a complaint at A Division Police Station, triggering a detailed investigation.
Police suspected insider involvement early on, and CCTV footage soon revealed that Kotak, a locker guard, had taken advantage of a locker left slightly open on April 24. The following day, he stealthily moved the valuables into another locker without permission.
“Using technical surveillance and human intelligence, we tracked Kotak. A search at his residence in Green Avenue led to the recovery of the stolen ornaments,” said DCP Crime, Dr. Parthrajsinh Gohil.
Kotak admitted during interrogation that he was drowning in heavy debt, and had melted the jewellery into bars at home to avoid detection and use it to repay loans.
The stolen items included:
309.96g gold worth Rs27.64 lakh
604.94g gold worth Rs51.57 lakh
39.31g gold worth Rs3.50 lakh
22g gold worth Rs1.87 lakh
Diamond-studded set weighing 38.7g worth Rs2.84 lakh
Gold bar (biscuit-shaped) weighing 272.16g worth Rs24.27 lakh
Silver slab weighing 3.19kg worth Rs1.29 lakh
The case was cracked by Police Inspectors M.R. Gondaliya, M.L. Damor, and C.H. Jadav, along with Sub-Inspector M.K. Movaliya of the Rajkot Crime Branch.
