Mumbai: Thank you, but where’s the rest of my gold, asks Ulhasnagar priest

Police personnel stand outside Swami Damaram Sahib Darbar at Ulhasnagar in Thane district after the robbery last month. File pic

The priest of an Ulhasnagar shrine has accused the local police of failing to recover all the gold jewellery that was robbed last month. He said the police managed to get back only 78 grams of gold, and deliberately did not seek the eight culprits' further custody to enquire about the rest. Police, however, claimed they have done their best and recovered whatever they could.

The accused in the case had stolen 490 grams of gold from Swami Damaram Sahib Darbar, where the complainant Jacky Jagiasi and his family live, at Shriram Chowk in Ulhasnagar city of Thane district last month. Vithalwadi police had registered an FIR based on Jagiasi's complaint and the Crime Branch also launched an investigation.

"In the FIR, I clearly mentioned that I was robbed of gold jewellery weighing 490 gram, with a total value of around R23-R24 lakh, but the police undervalued it to R10 lakh. I didn't bother, because recovery was important to me, not the value. Both the Vitthalwadi and Crime Branch police did a fantastic job and arrested the eight accused in just six days..." Jagiasi told mid-day. However, Vitthalwadi cops told me they have recovered only 78 grams of gold. When I asked them about the rest, they assured me that they will get that too after interrogating the accused," he added.

Jagiasi and a member of Sindh Sadhu Samaj visited the Vithalwadi police station to inquire about the rest of the gold on Friday. However, Senior Inspector Sanjay Gaikwad allegedly told them that they didn't find any. The accused were in police custody until September 17, when the court remanded them in judicial custody. "Now, the cops cannot interrogate them," Jagiasi said.

SI Gaikwad told mid-day, "There is a limit to an interrogation. If the accused are not sharing about the whereabouts of the rest of the gold, what else can we do? The complainant claimed that we didn't seek their custody for three more days. I had gone personally to the court and demanded their custody, but if the court doesn't allow it, what else can cops do?" Jagiasi told mid-day that he has planned to meet the Thane police commissioner and file a petition in the court as well.