Ahmedabad Woman Who Stole Rs 1.66 Crore Jewellery Abandoned By Accomplice In Delhi, Arrested

Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested a jewellery showroom employee accused of stealing gold ornaments worth over ₹1.66 crore from Abhushan Jewellers in Nikol. Police said Harshida Rajendrakumar Shetty allegedly planned the theft with accomplice.

Ahmedabad jewellery showroom employee arrested in major gold theft case

The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) of Ahmedabad has arrested a woman employee of a jewellery showroom in the city for allegedly stealing gold ornaments worth more than ₹1.66 crore and attempting to flee the state with an accomplice.

According to police officials, the accused worked at Abhushan Jewellers, located inside Gravity Shopping Mall in Ahmedabad's Nikol area. A complaint was filed at Nikol Police Station after the employee allegedly disappeared with a large quantity of gold jewellery from the showroom.

Police identified the accused as Harshida Rajendrakumar Erniya Shetty, 38, a resident of Vedanta Bungalows near New Naroda in Nikol.

Officials said the woman was arrested after an extensive investigation involving CCTV footage analysis and intelligence gathering by the Crime Branch.

Theft allegedly carried out during work shift

According to investigators, the theft took place on May 11 while Shetty was on duty at the jewellery showroom.

According to Gujarat Samachar report, police said preliminary investigations revealed that she had allegedly planned the theft in advance along with her associate, identified as Mayur Ashokbhai Mali, a resident of Vastral.

Officials believe the two carefully prepared their escape route before carrying out the crime.

After allegedly stealing the jewellery from the showroom, Shetty reportedly fled Ahmedabad with Mali on a Bullet motorcycle. The pair first travelled to Udaipur before moving to Jaipur and later reaching Delhi.

The complaint filed at Nikol Police Station stated that the stolen ornaments were valued at more than ₹1.66 crore.

Crime Branch formed special teams

After the complaint was registered, the Ahmedabad City Crime Branch formed several teams to trace the accused and recover the stolen jewellery.

Police said investigators examined nearly 300 CCTV camera footages collected from different locations during the probe. Officers also used human intelligence networks to track the movement of the accused across states.

Following the investigation, the Crime Branch managed to locate and arrest Shetty.

Officials said valuables were recovered from her possession during the operation. However, police statements mentioned different figures regarding the recovered amount.

One police statement said valuables worth ₹2.25 crore were seized from the accused, while another official update stated that jewellery worth ₹22.54 lakh had been recovered so far.

Jewellery and other valuables recovered

According to police officials, several gold ornaments were recovered from Shetty after her arrest.

The seized items reportedly include:

• A gold bracelet valued at ₹9.98 lakh 
• A white gold eagle-imprinted ornament worth ₹1.34 lakh 
• A gold mangalsutra valued at ₹7.43 lakh 
• A gold chain worth ₹3.62 lakh A mobile phone

Police also mentioned the recovery of an eagle-embossed gold ring studded with white stones among the seized valuables.

Investigators are still trying to trace the remaining stolen jewellery.

Accomplice allegedly fled with most of the jewellery

The investigation later took an unexpected turn after police learned what allegedly happened during the pair’s stay in Delhi.

According to officials, while staying at a hotel in the national capital, Mayur Mali allegedly abandoned Shetty and escaped with a large portion of the stolen jewellery.

Police believe Mali is currently absconding and may still be carrying most of the missing ornaments.

Search operations are underway to locate and arrest him.

Officials said further investigation is continuing to determine whether more people were involved in planning or helping with the theft.

Further investigation underway

After her arrest, Shetty was handed over to Nikol Police Station for further interrogation and legal action.

Police said the case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Investigators are now focusing on recovering the remaining stolen jewellery and tracing the absconding co-accused.

The case has drawn attention in Ahmedabad because of the large value of the stolen ornaments and the dramatic escape plan that reportedly stretched across several cities before ending in Delhi.