NRI's jewellery theft case solved, 2 women held, gold worth ₹20 lakh recovered in Ahmedabad

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Saturday claimed to have solved, within hours, a case involving the theft of gold jewellery worth over ₹20 lakh from an NRI woman visiting Gujarat from the United States, arresting two women and recovering the entire stolen property.

According to the Crime Branch, Saryumben, originally from India and currently settled in the US, had travelled to Gujarat with her family to attend a religious discourse at the Dada Bhagwan Trimandir in Adalaj. She was carrying ancestral gold ornaments, which she intended to give to a jeweller for remaking new jewellery for her son and daughter-in-law.

The jewellery was allegedly stolen while she was travelling on a bus from the Adalaj Trimandir area. Following the incident, a complaint was registered at the Satellite Police Station under section of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police officials said the family was distraught as the ornaments were not only of high monetary value but also carried significant emotional and ancestral importance. Acting swiftly, the Crime Branch formed teams and launched an investigation using both technical surveillance and human intelligence.

“Based on inputs and analysis, we identified and apprehended two women involved in the theft within a few hours of the complaint. All the stolen jewellery has been recovered,” a senior Crime Branch officer said.

The arrested accused have been identified as Ramilaben Paritbhai Parmar (28), a resident of Vadaj, Ahmedabad, originally from Dahod district; and Sarla Jitin Ganava (34), resident of Nirmalnagar, originally from Dahod district.

The seized valuables include six gold coins of AB Jewels weighing a total of 102.5 grams and valued at approximately ₹17.4 lakh, one gold bangle worth ₹2.3 lakh, and one gold necklace valued at ₹1.5 lakh. The total value of the recovered jewellery is estimated at ₹20.2 lakh, police said.

During preliminary investigation, police found that the two accused allegedly operated on BRTS and AMTS buses, particularly in crowded areas. They would target unsuspecting passengers and steal cash and jewellery, often accompanied by their young children to avoid suspicion, while posing as daily-wage labourers in the city.

Further investigation is under way to ascertain whether the accused were involved in similar offences elsewhere in Ahmedabad, officials added.