A sensational theft rocked Mahal area after thieves looted valuables worth Rs 24.66 lakh from the house of a businessman while the family was away to attend a wedding in Amravati. The incident took place at Jalaram Niwas in Mahal, where the Jasani family, owners of a plastic products business, had locked their residence and left for Amravati on Saturday night for the wedding of complainant Sanket Harish Jasani’s sister. According to police, the thieves broke the lock and latch of the house during the night and stole gold and diamond jewellery, expensive watches and Rs 5 lakh cash, all kept in a cupboard in preparation for the wedding. The total value of the stolen items is estimated at Rs 24.66 lakh. The crime came to light on Sunday morning when neighbours noticed the broken lock and informed the family. Sanket Jasani (31) rushed back to Nagpur and lodged a complaint at Kotwali Police Station. Police have registered a case against unknown persons and started investigation.

 

 

In a twist to the case, police found a crucial lead from a 16-year-old teenager living in the neighbourhood. The teen, who was playing games on his mobile on rooftop of his house around 2.40 am, noticed a suspicious car parked in front of the Jasani residence. He observed two persons exiting the vehicle and breaking into the house. They later fled after 30–45 minutes. The teenager discreetly recorded a video of the entire incident on his mobile phone but failed to alert the police or nearby residents at the time. He informed his family only in the morning. Despite the delay, the video has proven helpful to the police to identify the accued and track their movements.

 

 

CCTV footage and the teen’s video revealed that the accused arrived in a vehicle bearing registration number MH40/CA-2140. Upon investigation, the car was found to be registered to Rishikesh Kashyap of Sadbhavana Colony, Patansawangi. Further inquiry revealed that the car was stolen from Rishikesh’s house on the night of May 29. The thieves had broken into the house through a window and fled with the car, Rs 3,000 in cash, a set of keys, and a pair of earrings. That same night, they also attempted to steal the car of Rishikesh’s neighbour, Sarang Thavkar, but failed. A local resident noticed the tampered vehicle and missing car. The stolen vehicle was last tracked on Kamptee Road and police suspect the accused may have escaped towards Madhya Pradesh.

 

 

The Jasani family is devastated by the incident, which occurred just hours before the scheduled wedding ceremony. They had withdrawn cash and jewellery from the bank for the event and never anticipated such theft. Police are now intensifying their search using CCTV footage, vehicle tracking and the video recorded by the teenager.