Rs 14-crore Mathura gold heist: Former employee arrested, family helped hide loot - The Indian Express
Around 9.30 pm on Sunday, a lone figure dressed in black snuck into Jugal Kishore Jewellers in Mathura’s Kosi Kalan through the roof and remained inside for nearly eight hours. By the time he slipped out at 5.30 am, 7 kg of gold worth Rs 12 crore and nearly Rs 11 lakh in cash were gone — along with the shop’s CCTV Digital Video Recorder (DVR).
On Tuesday evening, police arrested the accused, former employee Vishnu alias Pappu Soni, 27, as well as three others who allegedly helped him hide the loot — his brother Mohan, 22, his 26-year-old sister and 54-year-old mother — from Gopalbagh in Kosi Kalan.
Police said they recovered around 7.12 kg of gold and Rs 11 lakh in cash from the accused.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mathura, Shailesh Pandey, said Vishnu was the person who entered the showroom and fled with the jewellery. Police said he used to work at the store but was fired around a year ago following allegations of financial irregularities.
After leaving the job, officers said he opened a small jewellery shop near his home in Ramnagar but decided to take revenge.
Police are examining CCTV footage from outside the shop to trace the… pic.twitter.com/ZcJQLZE9iw
According to police, he reached the double-storey shop’s terrace by scaling the boundary wall of a neighbouring house and crossing several interconnected rooftops.
Vishnu then used a gas cutter to cut through an iron grille meant to keep monkeys out — a process that took time as he was careful to ensure no one heard the sound of it breaking, officers said.
He then climbed down, entered the shop, and broke the lock of a room where the safe was kept. Police said Soni then allegedly took gold ornaments, leaving the silver and artificial jewellery untouched.
The accused then retraced his route: police said he went to the terrace, crossed to the neighbouring rooftop, descended into the house below, and left through the main gate.
The theft had come to light after the owner opened the store on Monday morning and checked the iron safe containing the gold.
With the shop’s DVR missing, police scoured 100 CCTV cameras installed at nearby shops and houses.
Footage from a camera outside the shop showed Soni carrying two bags and hiring an e-rickshaw in the early morning hours.
Police then found he went to the railway station, where his movements became untraceable. They had questioned the e-rickshaw driver, but he could not provide a clear description of the suspect.
Police then went through additional camera footage, hoping to catch a clear glimpse of the accused’s face. In one such recording, they finally found a lead that helped them trace Vishnu.
