Employee held after stealing 4 kg gold to fund gambling habit

A trusted employee at a jewellery showroom in Central Delhi’s Karol Bagh has been arrested after a chase of over 3,200 km from Ooty, Tamil Nadu, for stealing four kilograms of gold.

The accused, identified as 36-year-old Manoj Dosand, had been working at the Vishal Chains showroom since 2014. He reportedly developed a severe addiction to online gambling during the lockdown period.

To support his addiction, Manoj began stealing antique gold jewellery from the showroom and selling it to local goldsmiths. Before the theft could be discovered, he fled Delhi. An FIR was registered on July 1 at Karol Bagh Police Station and an investigation was launched.

A breakthrough came when Manoj was traced to Agra, where he had purchased a second-hand mobile phone and abandoned his motorcycle before boarding a train to Bengaluru. Continued surveillance led the police team to Chennai and eventually to Ooty, where he was apprehended during an early morning raid on July 20.

Police recovered 100 grams of stolen gold, Rs 2.3 lakh in cash and two mobile phones during the arrest. Manoj confessed to stealing and disposing of approximately four kilograms of gold, using the proceeds to fuel his gambling addiction.