The Coimbatore City Police have instructed jewellery manufacturers, hoteliers, owners of textile showrooms and industries to strictly check the background of guest workers before employing them. The police issued the caution in the wake of several incidents of guest workers getting away with cash and jewellery after working for a brief period in the city.
Jewellery manufacturers and owners of goldsmitheries were among the worst affected as some guest workers got away with large quantities of gold in the past few months.
According to B. Muthu Venkatraman, president of Coimbatore Jewellery Manufacturers Association, guest workers absconding with gold given to them for works has been a concern for several years. Jewellery manufacturers and smithery owners called on senior police officers on Wednesday to discuss the issue.
“We get job orders from jewellery manufacturers and jewellery showrooms for which the gold is provided. The gold is given to the goldsmiths, majority of them from other States like West Bengal, who work under us. Of late, owners of many goldsmitheries suffered huge losses after guest workers absconded with gold in large quantities like one kg and above. Over 20 kg of gold was stolen in the past one month or so,” said T.S. Sasikumar of Kovai Goldsmith Welfare Association.
Some of the owners of the goldsmitheries alleged that the police hesitated to register case as it was a tough task to go to places like remote villages in West Bengal, trace the accused and recover the stolen gold. The addresses given by the workers to employers were also found to be false in some of the cases.
Owner of a goldsmithery said theft of gold happened mostly during the IPL season. “Workers have been found engaged in betting which is illegal. We suspect that some of them resorted to stealing gold given for jewellery works after facing loss in IPL betting,” he said.
The police instructed jewellery manufacturers and smithery owners to employ guest workers after verifying their background with original ID proofs. The police suggested them to admit guest workers who produced a clearance certificate from the police station of their native place that attested they did not have criminal antecedents. The employers had been asked to share the list with the police and step up surveillance at workplaces.
G.S. Madhavan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore north, said the city police held meetings with jewellery manufacturers, hoteliers, owners of textile showrooms and industries to chalk out solutions.
“The police need to ensure that workplaces in the city do not turn a safe hideout for persons with criminal antecedents. Employers should exercise caution while recruiting new employees,” he said.
