Navi Mumbai: A 17-year-old teenager employed with a goldsmith in Zaveri Bazaar, Panvel, was apprehended from his home town in Solapur district within 48 hours earlier this week. He had decamped with six gold bars worth Rs 67 lakh on Aug 20 after his employer entrusted him with the job of getting the gold purity checked at a testing centre. An FIR was registered at Panvel City police station on Aug 21.Bala Kumbhar, senior inspector of Panvel city, said the complainant Roshan Kolekar (24), gave six gold bars weighing 663.23 gm to the accused employee for getting the gold purity tested at Midas Hallmark centre located barely 100 metres from his store. Kolekar claimed that he trusted the accused as he had been working for him for the past eight months and even in the past he was given the job of getting the gold purity checked from Midas Hallmark Centre. As he did not return for a long time, Kolekar tried to contact him on his mobile, but it was switched off. Hence, Kolekar contacted Swapnil Sawant, an employee at Centre, and enquired whether his staff had come to check the purity of the gold bars. Sawant told him that the teen had come, and after checking the gold purity, he left 10 minutes ago. Hence, Kolekar suspected foul play by the accused staff and lodged a police complaint.Kumbhar said, “After registering an FIR under a BNS section for the offence of criminal breach of trust, a special police team was formed to trace the accused. We scanned CCTV camera footage in Panvel city and at Panvel railway station that led the detection branch team to Kurduwadi railway station in Solapur district, where the accused was spotted in the CCTV camera footage while alighting from the train on the night of Aug 21. The police team reached his home town in Khillarwadi village in Sangola taluka, Satara, and detained him on Sunday. We have recovered the stolen bars. The teen was produced before the Panvel court and was sent to a juvenile shelter home.”
