A 33-year-old man was arrested for allegedly tricking his co-workers into consuming drug-laced drinks before escaping with several kilograms of gold and jewellery valued over ₹1 crore earlier this month.
According to the police, Surajit Manna, a craftsman from Howrah in West Bengal, had ransacked his employer’s jewellery shop in Karol Bagh where he had been working for the last six years. Around 1.65 kg of gold jewellery, gold nuggets weighing 130 g and 12 kg of gold mould mixed with wax and clay were recovered from the accused.
“Complainant Kaushik Goswami, who owns the jewellery workshop in Karol Bagh, reported that he had 12 to 13 men working as craftsmen at his workshop,” Alok Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police (crime), said.
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Sedatives-laced sweets
On the intervening night of November 4 and 5, Manna told his co-workers that it was his daughter’s birthday and offered liquor and sweets laced with sedatives to them, the complainant said.
After consuming the liquor and sweets, according to the police, the men fell unconscious taking advantage of which Manna, along with his accomplice Pintu, stole the gold jewellery, moulds with jewellery and other items and fled the workshop.
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Accused traced
A case of theft under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Karol Bagh police station.
“Sensing the gravity of the case, Constable Surya Prakash, who is posted with the Special Investigation Unit, was deputed to make all possible technical surveillance and develop inputs about the accused and explore the involvement of Pintu,” said a senior police officer.
The movement of the accused was traced to Diamond Harbour district in West Bengal following which a policeteam was despatched to the area.
Change of hideouts
Though he kept changing his hideouts frequently, Manna was, arrested on the basis of local surveillance and investigation from the house of one his acquaintances in Basulat Falta, Diamond Harbour.