Vintage gold coins stolen from Gujarat home: One more person held from MP

Navsari: Days after four labourers were arrested from Madhya Pradesh in connection with theft of vintage gold coins from a house they were hired to demolish in Navsari in Gujarat, one more person has been held from the neighbouring state, a police official said on Thursday.

The official said 41 gold coins worth Rs 19 lakh have been recovered from the person held from Alirajpur in MP on Wednesday, he said.

On December 26, Navsari district police had arrested four labourers from Alirajpur with 199 gold coins which they had allegedly stolen from a house they were demolishing instead of apprising authorities.

The coins have the image of King George V engraved on them and the house, on Bazaar Street, belongs to NRI Hawaben Balia, who currently resides in Leicester in the United Kingdom, said Navsari Superintendent of Police Sushil Agarwal.

"During interrogation of the arrested accused, it was revealed one Mukesh Bhayadia had kept 30 coins with himself. Moreover, a minor was also in possession of 11 stolen coins. These 41 gold coins were mortgaged for Rs 5.81 lakh by the accused," said Aagrwal.

"Our team arrested Mukesh Bhayadia from Alirajpur and have recovered 41 coins worth Rs 19 lakh from a local jeweller who had given a loan of Rs 5.81 lakh to the accused against these coins. We have so far recovered 240 gold coins worth Rs 1.11 crore," said the SP.

The probe began after an FIR was lodged by Navsari police in October on the complaint of house owner Balia against contractor Sarfaraz Karadiya, who was hired to raze the house, and four labourers hailing from Alirajpur. Karadiya and the four labourers were arrested in December.

These five accused were charged under Indian Penal Code sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 114 (abettor present at spot when offence is committed), the SP had said on January 1, adding they have confessed to stealing the coins while pulling down the structure.

Four policemen from Madhya Pradesh were also arrested after an FIR was lodged at Sondba police station in Alirajpur on the complaint of one of the arrested labourers who claimed they had looted some of the gold coins.