Jeweller takes away 8 kg gold; Rs 2.5-crore assets recovered

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru

In a major breakthrough, Jayanagar Police have arrested a goldsmith from Rajasthan who allegedly cheated a jewellery shop of over 8 kg of gold biscuits and vanished without delivering the finished ornaments.
The accused, identified as Manish Kumar Soni, had been working as a trusted goldsmith for the jewellery shop located in Jayanagar 3rd Block for the past four years. According to the police, between April and June this year, Soni took 8 kg 351 grams of raw gold from the shop owner on the promise of crafting ornaments but failed to deliver any jewellery and switched off his phone, severing all contact.
Left in the lurch, Vishal, the owner of the jewellery shop, filed a complaint at the Jayanagar Police Station, accusing Soni of betrayal of trust and large-scale fraud. Acting swiftly, the police tracked the absconding goldsmith to Goa, where he was allegedly spending lavishly and partying with his wife.
Police teams raided the location and arrested Soni. Following the arrest, they seized around 3 kg 36 grams of finished gold ornaments hidden at his residence. They also recovered the remaining gold biscuits, which he had pawned off, along with ?8.53 lakh in cash.
In total, gold and cash worth around ?2.5 crore have been seized from the accused. Police sources said Soni had frittered away a portion of the stolen gold’s proceeds on luxury expenses and entertainment while on the run.
The Jayanagar Police have praised the swift operation that foiled Soni’s plan to flee abroad. Further investigation is underway to trace if he has cheated other jewellers in Bengaluru or other states.
The arrest has highlighted how vulnerable jewellery shops can be to trusted insiders misusing access to large quantities of gold. Police have urged jewellers to strengthen background checks, maintain stricter inventories and adopt digital tracking for raw material handed over to outsourced goldsmiths.
Soni is now in judicial custody and will be produced in court soon as further legal proceedings continue.