Ahmedabad, May 19 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Crime Branch in Gujarat has arrested a female employee in connection with the alleged theft of gold ornaments worth over Rs 1.66 crore from a jewellery shop in the Nikol area, officials said on Tuesday.

According to a police official, a complaint was registered at Nikol Police Station after gold ornaments valued at Rs 1,66,88,437 were reported stolen on May 11 from “Aabhushan Jewellers”, located at Gravity Shopping Mall in the area.

The accused, identified as Harshida Shetty (38), a resident of Nikol area, was employed at the shop at the time of the incident.

Following the complaint, the Crime Branch formed multiple teams to trace the accused. Officers examined around 300 CCTV camera feeds and also used human intelligence inputs during the investigation.

The accused was subsequently located and apprehended. During the operation, jewellery and other stolen property worth Rs 22,54,500 were recovered.

During interrogation, police stated that the accused had allegedly planned the theft with her associate, identified as Mayur Mali.

As per the alleged plan, the stolen gold ornaments were taken after the incident, and the duo attempted to flee Gujarat.

They travelled on a motorcycle from Ahmedabad to Udaipur and then proceeded towards Jaipur and Delhi.

Investigators further stated that during their stay in a hotel, the co-accused allegedly left the woman behind and escaped with the stolen gold ornaments.

Police have recovered multiple ornaments from the accused, including a gold bracelet worth Rs 9.98 lakh, an eagle-embossed gold ring studded with white stones valued at Rs 1.34 lakh, a gold mangalsutra worth Rs 7.43 lakh, and a gold chain priced at Rs 3.62 lakh.

A mobile phone was also recovered from her possession. The case was registered under Section 306 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The arrested accused has been handed over to the Nikol Police Station for further legal proceedings.

Efforts are underway to trace the absconding accused, who is stated to be a resident of the Vastral area.

Police said further investigation is in progress to recover the remaining stolen valuables and establish the full sequence of events related to the alleged offence.

–IANS

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