Ahmedabad, Feb 10 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has made a significant breakthrough in the high-profile silver heist in Rajkot, recovering a second consignment of stolen silver and arresting a key suspect, police officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The development follows the theft of approximately 120 kg of silver from the premises of a trader in Rajkot, in the early hours of February 4.

According to police, unidentified individuals broke into the property and fled with silver valued at over Rs one crore, prompting a state-wide investigation involving intelligence gathering and analysis of CCTV footage.

Late on Monday night, officers arrested Mangusinh Rathore, a resident of Leela Heights near Mango Cinema in Naroda area in Ahmedabad, during a targeted search operation.

A subsequent search of Rathore’s residence led to the recovery of 40 kg of silver, believed to be part of the stolen consignment.

The seized items included 30 kg of intact silver ornaments and 10 kg of silver in melted form.

Police also recovered a specialised furnace and tools reportedly used to alter the stolen silver to conceal its origin.

All items have been sent for forensic examination to confirm their link to the theft.

A Crime Branch official said: “The recovery of this consignment represents a major development in our efforts to trace the stolen property. The suspect is being questioned intensively to locate further evidence and identify the accomplices.”

The official added that efforts are ongoing to recover the remaining silver and dismantle the network involved in the heist.

Earlier in the investigation, Crime Branch teams had recovered another 40 kg of stolen silver in Mehsana and arrested Pradeep Prajapati, who was reportedly attempting to sell part of the stolen goods.

The authorities continue to pursue leads on the remaining 40 kg of silver and another suspect, Mukesh Prajapati, identified from CCTV footage.

Police have also deployed units in Surat and Vadodara to trace additional accused individuals and recover the rest of the stolen property.

–IANS

mys/dan