Dig that! Mumbai police find stolen gold hidden in village field

The Malabar Hill police with the recovered jewellery

Septuagenarian Laju Godhwani had given up hope of getting back the Rs 54 lakh worth of jewellery that was stolen from her Malabar Hill residence in 2015, along with Rs 4 lakh cash. While the cops had identified Godhwani's domestic help, Radhyeshyam Mandal, as the thief, they were unable to nab him.

Now, after almost 18 months of investigations, cops have not only caught Mandal, but also dug out the entire jewellery stash hidden in a three-acre field in his village.

Godhwani, who lives with her businessman husband Hargun, had employed Mandal in April 2015. Police sources said, on October 22, 2015, while Laju was out of station, Mandal left home around 9 am telling Hargun that he was going to the doctor.

"But Mandal never returned and, in the evening, Hargun found out that jewellery worth R54 lakh and R4 lakh cash was missing from their home. Hargun immediately filed a complaint with us," a Malabar Hill police officer said.

Based on the address Mandal had given to the Godhwanis, cops went to his village in Bihar. "While Mandal was nowhere to be found, his elder brother, Jayram, said he had a hunch that Mandal may have crossed over to Nepal to seek refuge," the official said. Although some cops stayed back in Bihar for more clues, Mandal remained in hiding for a year. Recently, the police learnt that Mandal was staying with another brother, Rajaram, in Surat. Mandal was arrested on January 3.

Based on his confession, cops returned to his village to recover the jewellery stash. "By the time we reached his village, the locals had already started digging a three-acre field that belongs to the Mandals. We finally dug out the stolen jewellery from the field," the official added.