Jewellery heist rocks Lucknow: Female employee steals ₹2.5 crore worth of gold, flees with husband
Lucknow (The Uttam Hindu): A sensational case of jewelry theft worth crores of rupees has come to light from the showroom of a renowned jewelry company in Gomtinagar, Lucknow. A female employee who has been working at the showroom for the past four years has been accused of this high-profile theft.
Accused Komal Srivastava, who earned a mere ₹22,000 per month, gradually stole 2.5 kg of gold and diamond-studded jewelry, estimated to be worth crores of rupees. She lived a luxurious life with the stolen money. By the time police arrived at her home, the woman and her husband had fled.
According to showroom officials, the theft occurred gradually over four years. Komal kept removing gold and jewelry under the pretext of stock verification. The entire case was exposed on Diwali night when a customer requested gold under the buyback scheme.
Komal's surprising reply was, "It melted." When the counter staff asked, "Why did you need to melt the gold?" Komal didn't give a clear answer and avoided the question. After the customer left, the staff immediately informed manager Dheeraj Dal.
When manager Dheeraj checked CCTV footage from the previous 5-6 days, Komal's actions seemed suspicious. The footage showed her discreetly hiding gold bracelets, coins, and jewelry in her saree or bag. On October 15-16, she openly took out the jewelry wrapped in a cloth.
After this, when the stock was matched, it was revealed that 2.5 kg of gold was missing, whose market price is said to be around Rs 2.5 crore.
Manager Dheeraj Dal said that Komal came looking for a job after Covid and was given the job based on her modest background. Over the course of four years, she had earned everyone's trust.
Police investigations revealed that Komal used the stolen money to purchase a flat worth ₹70-75 lakh and pay off a car loan. Police suspect that the stolen gold may have been melted and sold in the market.
A new twist in the case came when Komal's husband, who is absconding, filed a complaint at the Mahanagar police station. He alleged that the showroom management and manager Dheeraj had treated Komal "inappropriately" and falsely accused her.
ADCP East Amit Kumawat said that an FIR has been registered at the Gomti Nagar police station and a thorough investigation is underway into the three-year-old theft case. Komal and her husband are currently absconding. Police teams are conducting raids in Delhi-NCR and other cities in search of them.