A woman, Afsari, was arrested on Wednesday for masterminding a gold theft worth Rs 60 lakh from a jewellery shop in Chowk area. The 32-year-old, hailing from Rajghat in Gorakhpur, meticulously surveyed 20 jewellery shops across the city before executing the heist. Police recovered 700 grams of the stolen gold from her possession.
The arrest followed an intensive investigation, which involved scanning over 100 hours of CCTV footage. Afsari, disguised in a burqa, was tracked to Gorakhpur after the theft. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Vishwajeet Srivastava, revealed that after the robbery, Afsari hid the stolen gold at a relative’s house in Lucknow before fleeing back to her hometown.
The theft took place on Sunday around 12:30 PM at the Kirdhari Lal Indra Prasad jewellery shop in Chowk Bazar, run by Krishna Rastogi. Afsari entered the shop under the pretext of buying jewellery, then distracted an employee before stealing the gold ornaments. The theft was discovered when the employee returned to the jewellery display to continue his work.
The police are continuing their investigation to trace any further connections in the case.
