Ahmedabad tennis coach accused of stealing jewellery worth ₹12 lakh from protege's home

A tennis coach has been booked for allegedly stealing gold and silver ornaments worth ₹12.2 lakh from the residence of a businessman in the Sola area of Ahmedabad.

As per the First Information Report (FIR) registered on February 1, the theft came to light after Gaurav Dixit, who runs a private security agency, discovered that jewellery kept in cupboards in two bedrooms of his house had gone missing.

Dixit, a resident of Green View Avenue near Science City Road, stated in his complaint that the incident occurred on December 19, when his son’s tennis coach, identified as Vedic Svetank Manso, visited his house in the morning to pick his 14-year-old son for coaching.

At the time, Dixit was working on his laptop in his bedroom, while his wife was engaged in household chores. His daughter had gone to school and his son was asleep. The coach was asked to wait in the bedroom until the child got ready. However, after the boy complained of illness and decided not to attend practice, the coach reportedly asked to use the washroom and was directed to another room.

The FIR states that shortly thereafter, the coach claimed he had received a phone call and left the house in a hurry. Dixit and his wife did not suspect anything at the time.

Four days later, on December 23, while checking the cupboards, Dixit found that several gold and silver ornaments were missing. The stolen items included one gold mangalsutra, three gold rings, five gold sets, two gold chains, collectively weighing about 12.5 tolas and valued around ₹12 lakh along with silver anklets, bracelets and other silver articles worth approximately ₹20,000.

Suspicion fell on the coach when his phone was found switched off. The complainant later contacted an associate of the accused, Nem Shah, who allegedly disclosed that the coach had handed over the jewellery to him on December 20, claiming it belonged to his wife and that he urgently needed money. Shah reportedly sold the ornaments at a jewellery shop in Shivranjni and paid about ₹10.09 lakh to the accused.

Based on the complaint, police have registered a case of theft and taken up further investigation. Statements of witnesses, including the jeweller and the intermediary who sold the ornaments, are being recorded.

Police said efforts are under way to trace the accused and recover the remaining jewellery and proceeds of the crime.