Jewellery worth ₹9.61 lakh stolen from trader’s bag at Ahmedabad’s Manek Chowk

In a theft caught on CCTV, two unidentified men allegedly unzipped a jeweller’s backpack and got away with gold and platinum ornaments worth more than ₹9.61 lakh while he walked through a crowded market.

The victim, 43-year-old jeweller Bhavesh Patel, a resident of Nikol, had left for Manek Chowk on May 29 to deliver jewellery belonging to his family and his jewellery business for repair work. Before heading to Manek Chowk, Patel visited a friend’s office in Sheth ni Pol, Ratanpol. Around 1.45 pm, he started walking towards Manek Chowk.

According to the complaint, Patel was alerted near Manek Chowk at around 2.15 pm by an unknown person who informed him that his bag’s zipper was open. When he checked the bag, a plastic box containing jewellery was missing.

CCTV footage from shops in the area allegedly shows Patel walking through the market with a backpack on his shoulder while two men closely followed him. Taking advantage of the crowd, one suspect is seen opening the bag’s zipper and discreetly removing the jewellery box before both men disappear into the market.

The stolen valuables included a 25-gram gold necklace, a 15.5-gram gold hand ornament, a 6.5-gram gold ring studded with a red stone, an 11-gram gold bracelet, around 80 to 90 gold jewellery pieces belonging to the family’s jewellery business, and a 3.5-gram platinum pendant.