In a swift and meticulous investigation, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) Bhusaval Division of Central Railway arrested Mumbai jeweller Sagar Parekh (40) and three of his associates for orchestrating a fake robbery of gold ornaments on a train.
On September 30, Parekh, a partner in a jewellery firm based in Zaveri Bazaar, Mumbai, lodged a complaint at the Government Railway Police (GRP) station in Mumbai, claiming that 52 gold bangles and 35 gold rings weighing 1.5 kg, valued at Rs 1.82 crore, were stolen from him on the 12187 Jabalpur-CSMT Garib Rath Express.
The case was later transferred to GRP Khandwa post jurisdiction. A joint investigation team comprising officers from RPF Khandwa, Crime Intelligence Branch, and RPF Bhusaval used CCTV footage, mobile call data records (CDRs), and route mapping to unravel the truth.
The probe revealed that Parekh had fabricated the entire robbery narrative with the help of his associates to mislead the authorities and claim false losses. The accused even self-inflicted injuries to make the story believable.
Further interrogation led to the recovery of the ornaments from an accomplice, Praveen Kumar (35), at Kalyan railway station. The recovered jewellery was documented and seized.
Besides Parekh and Praveen, Sanjay Kumar (27) from Pali district, Rajasthan, and Rakesh Jain (53) from Malabar Hills, Mumbai, were also arrested.
Officials praised the RPF’s prompt and precise handling of the case, which not only prevented a significant financial loss but also upheld the department’s credibility in tackling high-value railway crimes.
