Hotel Stay Turns Nightmare: Mumbai Gold Trader Loses Jewellery Worth Rs 3.2 Crore, Driver Missing

Shirdi (Maharashtra): Trusting his driver proved costly for a Mumbai-based gold trader who was robbed of ornaments worth Rs 3.2 crore and Rs 4 lakh in cash in Shirdi town of Maharashtra.

On May 7, gold trader Vijaysinh Khishi had brought about 4 kg and 873 grams of ornaments from his wholesale gold firm to Shirdi to sell them to jewellers. Khishi was accompanied by two of his employees -- worker Chandraprakash Prajapati and driver Suresh Kumar. The trio were staying in a hotel in the town where the theft took place.

On May 13, at around 10 pm, Khishi, Prajapati and driver Kumar went to bed in their hotel room after having dinner. They had kept the bag of gold jewellery between the bed and the table and locked the room from inside. The next day, on May 14, at 6 am, Khishi's cousin Shailendra Singh came to the hotel to collect the payments.

Singh, according to a police official, found the door open and saw Khishi and Prajapati still asleep while the driver was missing. His mobile phone and clothes, however, were still kept in the room. The bag carrying gold jewellery weighing about 3.5 kg (estimated value of Rs 3 crore 22 lakh) along with cash worth Rs 4 lakh, was gone.

Following the incident, Khishi approached the police, who registered a case at Shirdi Police Station and launched a manhunt to nab the missing driver.

In his complaint, the gold trader said that Suresh Kumar had been working for him for the last four months and had slowly gained his trust so much so that Khishi included him in his business transactions.

The police are accessing the CCTV footage of the hotel premises as well as the nearby areas. They are also collecting the call details and other information from the area.

"Shirdi police are investigating whether driver Suresh Kumar committed the theft alone or if someone else is also behind it," the police official said.

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