Jaipur: Nearly a year after valuables found during the demolition of a centuries-old haveli in Jaipur’s Walled City went missing, police Saturday arrested five people and recovered 66.4kg of silver believed to be part of the missing treasure.
Manak Chowk police arrested five individuals for embezzling hidden treasure found during an old building’s demolition; recovered 2 silver bar in Jaipur, Rajasthan on 08 August 2026
DCP (North) Karan Sharma said the breakthrough came despite the demolition site having disappeared months ago, with a new building now standing in its place and no CCTV footage or physical evidence available. Police instead pieced together the case by analysing call records, tracking the suspects’ movements and examining unusual changes in their financial circumstances.The case was registered at Manak Chowk police station on July 15 after the owner alleged that valuables discovered during the demolition of his family’s ancestral property at Vidhyadhar Ka Rasta in Tripolia Bazaar had been misappropriated instead of being handed over to the owners.Manak Chowk SHO Rakesh Khyalia said the demolition contract had been awarded to Mahesh Malhotra through a private firm. The complainant had specifically instructed the contractor to immediately report and hand over any valuables found during the demolition, he said.According to the FIR, workers discovered 10-15 silver ingots weighing around 40-45kg, 14-15 gold urns containing gold coins, 8,000-10,000 antique silver coins and other valuables concealed inside the centuries-old structure. The workers allegedly siphoned off the valuables instead of informing the owners or authorities, police said.Police arrested Mahesh Malhotra alias Chhotu (46), Jagdish Rajoria (51), Om Prakash Khichi (54), Anuj Arora (28) and Rajni Malhotra (36) following months of investigation.Officials said the probe was particularly challenging because the alleged theft came to light nearly 10 months after the valuables were discovered. By then, the old structure had been completely demolished and a new building constructed, leaving investigators with no crime scene to examine.Police said they relied on technical surveillance and human intelligence. Besides analysing call detail records and tracking the accused, investigators scrutinised their financial profiles and found that several suspects, who had previously depended on daily-wage work and small jobs, had allegedly made unusually large expenditures after the incident.Sustained surveillance and interrogation eventually led to the recovery of two large silver ingots weighing 66.4kg, which investigators believe were part of the missing cache.Officials said further recoveries were expected as investigators continued to trace the remaining valuables and establish the full extent of the alleged misappropriation.
