Mumbai: Suspect in jewellery shop robbery case held in Rajasthan

Kardhar Jewellers in Goregaon

The Goregaon police on Thursday arrested the main suspect in the Rs 92-lakh Kardhar jewellery shop robbery case in Rajasthan. After a week of hard work, the police officers from Zone XI, dressed in traditional Rajasthani attire, diligently tracked the suspect across various areas, including Rajsamand city. Eventually, they apprehended him as he was preparing to leave Rajasthan and escape to another state with the assistance of his friend's driver. According to police sources, the arrested suspect has been identified as Suresh Lohar, 30. Lohar has a previous criminal record for a similar robbery in the Wadala area in 2018. He was arrested at that time and spent several months in jail before being released on bail.

In order to avoid being caught again, after committing the robbery at the Kardhar Jewellery shop, Lohar refrained from using his mobile phone. Instead, he planned to use mobile phones from auto drivers, taxi drivers, truck drivers, and other individuals using a common number in Rajasthan. The police were able to trace this common number, leading them to a woman who was romantically involved with the accused, as confirmed by an officer. Rather than returning to his village after the crime in Goregaon, Lohar met with his girlfriend and handed over the stolen jewellery, which she had kept with her mother.

The police traced one of Lohar's friends, who worked as a tourist driver. Lohar met with him and planned to leave Rajasthan in his vehicle with the help of his friend. The police set a trap and waited the entire day, but the accused did not show up. It was a couple of days later, when Lohar approached his friend, the driver, to leave Rajasthan, that he was apprehended, added the officer. During the interrogation, it was revealed that Lohar had previously worked at the jewellery shop owned by the complainant brothers (the owners of Kardhar Jewellers) and was acquainted with Shravankumar Kharwad, an employee of Kardhar Jewellers, as they hailed from the same village in Rajasthan.

Well-planned robbery

With a well-planned intention to commit the robbery, Lohar arrived in Mumbai and met Kharwad in Goregaon on the day of the incident. The duo then visited the Mumbai Kamathipura area for a while before returning to the Kardhar Jewellery shop in Goregaon late at night. Lohar intercepted Kharwad, and covered his mouth with a handkerchief soaked in a chemical substance, causing him to lose consciousness. Lohar then fled the shop, taking approximately 37 kg of silver and 250 grams of gold ornaments from the same taxi they had used to travel from Mumbai Central to Goregaon, said another officer.

During the investigation, the police reviewed CCTV footage, which showed the taxi dropping off Lohar near Dahisar Check Naka. Lohar then took an auto-rickshaw and reached Charoti on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad express highway, where he boarded a Bolero pickup and continued his journey to Rajasthan, added another officer. The police successfully traced the taxi driver, auto-rickshaw driver, and Bolero pickup driver, who provided information about the accused's location in Rajsamand City, Rajasthan. Lohar was subsequently arrested and brought before the court. The court remanded him to police custody, stated the officer.

Rs 92 lakh
Worth of valuables stolen