2.3 kg jewellery, cash missing; 12 yrs later, police ‘clueless’
In 2012, jewellery and Rs 27 lakh cash that a widow had stored in Dadha Securilockers, a private locker facility in Sowcarpet, was reported missing. Initial police investigations reveal the firm’s directors to be the culprits but after that the case stalled, and the victim gave up hope of getting justice
Representative Image (Illustration: Saai)
CHENNAI: If you think that private lockers are safe for your jewellery and hard-earned cash, think again before you buy the service.
An advocate’s family represented by a 61-year-old widow is now running from pillar to post seeking justice for her stolen gold weighing about 2.3 kg looted from a private locker firm based in Elephant Gate near Sowcarpet.
“The organised loot happened in 2012. And, 12 years later, nothing has happened. Justice Anand Venkatesh who heard the plea had directed the police to complete the investigation in 3 months, but the response from the local police is not encouraging,” lamented Dharmendar Kothari. “I’m finding it difficult to console my mother who is mentally drained with prolonged legal procedures. After my father Ajay Kothari passed away, my mother inherited jewels from my grandmother. And my father had bought some of these jewels for my mother. So, these jewels were not only emotional, but the only asset left by my father who was a practising advocate. My mother chose the locker hoping that the jewels would be safe and can be used at the time of my sister’s wedding. But the organised theft by the insiders in the firm had thwarted my mother’s plan.”
Dharmendar has been frequenting between the court and the police station for several years.
The petitioner Ratan Kawar submitted that his family kept Rs 27 lakh and 2,300 grams of gold jewel in a private locker at Elephant Gate. Later, the petitioner came to know that the directors of the private locker firm, Mahendra Dhadha and Surendra Dhadha, had mishandled the cash and jewellery. A complaint was filed at the Elephant Gate police station. Subsequently, the suspects made a compromise agreement with the petitioner that the money and jewellery would be returned within 6 months.
“Dadha Securilockers, Mint Street, has not returned the jewels, but gave some part of the cash and one small necklace. The firm’s office-bearers and staffers have been evading the widow and her relatives. The local police knew what was happening and never completed the investigations, which benefitted the firm. Hence, the plea was moved before the Madras High Court,” advocate CA Prabhakar said.
Usually, such cases will be dealt with as a theft case, and suspects would be investigated and produced before the court for trial. “But this is a strange case, where a police investigation has been running for years,” Prabhakar said. “Every time the petitioner or the relatives approached the station, the police would assure immediate action like arrest, recovery of jewels, but no relief.”
Petitioner A Ratan Kawar moved the HC seeking to transfer the investigation, on the complaint given by her, pending since 2012, to Central Crime Branch (CCB). Two weeks ago, Justice N Anand Venkatesh directed the deputy commissioner, Flower Bazar, to monitor the probe conducted by the investigation officer as it had been pending since 2012.
The judge also directed the deputy commissioner to ensure that the investigation was completed, and the final report or closure report was filed before the concerned jurisdictional court within three months.
