A 26-year-old former serviceman has been arrested for allegedly stealing jewellery worth Rs 2.4 lakh from his own residence and then filing a false burglary complaint with the Chandgad police station to conceal the crime, authorities said.
Accused Identified
The suspect, identified as Mahesh Patil, a resident of Rajgoli Budruk village in Chandgad tehsil, had lodged a complaint on May 9 claiming that jewellery belonging to his family members had been stolen the previous night. However, an investigation by the Chandgad police, assisted by the Local Crime Branch (LCB), revealed that the burglary was staged.
Investigation Details
According to police, inputs received by constables Dipak Ghorpade and Pravin Patil indicated that Patil was under financial stress after suffering significant losses in the stock market. Acting on the tip, the police kept surveillance on him and found that he had hidden the stolen gold and silver jewellery and was attempting to sell them.
“He filed the complaint to avoid suspicion within the family. We kept a watch and confirmed that he was looking for a buyer,” said Kolhapur LCB inspector Sushant Chavan.
Arrest and Recovery
On Tuesday, the police received information that Patil would be on Murgud Road. A trap was laid, and during a search operation, the stolen jewellery was recovered from him. He was subsequently handed over to the Chandgad police station for further investigation.
Patil has been booked under relevant sections of the BNS, including 305(a), 333, and 331, the police said.
