New Delhi, Nov 25 (PTI) Delhi Police arrested a man on Monday for allegedly stealing gold jewellery worth Rs 1 crore from a shop in Chandni Chowk here, officials said.
The accused, Amit Verma, worked at a jewellery shop in Chandni Chowk and was under significant financial stress due to a debt of approximately Rs 80 lakh.
On November 18, Verma approached another jeweller, Pankaj Goyal, under the pretext of procuring gold designs for his shop, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said.
"As per usual business practice, Goyal handed over 1.8 kilograms of jewellery in boxes to the accused. Later, Goyal discovered that Verma had absconded with the jewellery," the DCP said.
An FIR was registered after the incident at Kotwali Police Station and a manhunt was launched for Verma across Farrukhabad, Bijnor, Haridwar, Saharanpur and Delhi, the officer said.
CCTV footage traced Verma's movements, starting with an autorickshaw ride from Chandni Chowk to Azad Nagar. He then used multiple phones to avoid detection, including those belonging to a shopkeeper in Haridwar, and an e-rickshaw driver in Saharanpur, he said.
Despite his efforts to evade capture, he returned to Delhi on November 23, and contacted a friend in East Azad Nagar, Banthia said.
Based on a tip-off, a trap was laid with two officers in plainclothes stationed near near ISBT Kashmere Gate , he said.
Verma was apprehended and gold jewellery — including 110 rings and 30 necklaces with earrings — was recovered from his possession, the officer said.
"He confessed that he had planned the theft to settle his debts by selling the stolen gold in Farrukhabad. The team has recovered all the stolen items from him," the officer added.