Delhi Police have arrested three accused persons in connection with a gold jewellery theft case in Karol Bagh and recovered the entire stolen jewellery weighing approximately 400 grams, worth around Rs 45 lakh, an official said on Wednesday.

According to the police, the accused executed the theft by impersonating traffic regulators and distracting the complainant before stealing the jewellery from a bag kept on his motorcycle.

The incident took place on November 1, when the complainant visited Mahalaxmi Jewellers (firm name: Swastik), located in Beadonpura, Karol Bagh, to collect gold ornaments weighing approximately 400 grams.

After collecting the jewellery at around 6 p.m., he kept it in a bag hanging behind his motorcycle and proceeded towards his office at Britannia Chowk. However, upon reaching his office, he discovered that the bag’s chain had been opened and the jewellery was missing. Subsequently, an e-FIR was registered at Karol Bagh police station, and an investigation was initiated.

Considering the seriousness of the case, a dedicated police team comprising SI Amit Yadav, ASI Jitender, Head Constable Avinash and Constable Hariom was formed under the supervision of the SHO, Karol Bagh, and the ACP, Karol Bagh.

During the investigation, police examined CCTV footage from the surrounding areas, which revealed that three persons had jointly executed the theft near the intersection of Bank Street and Beadonpura.

One of the accused posed as a traffic regulator and stopped the complainant’s motorcycle, while another allegedly opened the bag and removed the jewellery. The third accused provided cover and facilitated the theft.

Through extensive CCTV analysis, local intelligence and examination of criminal records, police identified two suspects.

Acting on specific intelligence, the team apprehended them from the Anand Parbat area on November 3. During interrogation, they disclosed the involvement of their third associate, who was subsequently arrested from the same area.

The arrested accused have been identified as Bharat (27), Kapil alias Rahul (33), both residents of Punjabi Basti, Anand Parbat, and Kavya Aryan Saini alias Bhanja (22), a resident of Than Singh Nagar, Anand Parbat.

During interrogation, the accused admitted their involvement in the theft. Police said they used to target crowded and congested areas, impersonating traffic regulators to avoid suspicion.

They would identify people carrying heavy bags and distract them while other members of the gang stealthily removed valuables, including cash, mobile phones and jewellery.

Police said the accused resorted to such activities to sustain their livelihood and fulfil their personal needs.

The entire stolen gold jewellery, weighing approximately 400 grams and valued at Rs 45 lakh, has been recovered.

Police further stated that Kapil alias Rahul is a Bad Character (BC) of Anand Parbat police station and has 14 previous criminal involvements, including cases related to murder, robbery, theft and the Arms Act.

Bharat is also a habitual offender with previous involvement in criminal cases, including murder and theft.

A woman conductor of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC), who was critically injured after allegedly being pushed out of a moving bus during an altercation over fare and change, has died at a hospital in Hyderabad.

Gundla Pravalika (24) breathed her last at a private hospital late on Tuesday, where she had been undergoing treatment for 10 days.

The conductor, who was serving at Manuguru depot of TGSRTC in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, had suffered critical injuries after falling under the rear wheels of the bus near Mittagudem village on October 25.

A woman passenger, identified as Mounika, had allegedly pushed out Pravalika from the moving bus following an argument over ticket fare for the latter’s son and the return of change. As the passenger had handed over a Rs 100 note, the conductor had asked her to collect the remaining amount later as she did not have change. During a heated argument, the passenger allegedly pushed Pravalika out of the moving bus. She fell on the road, and the rear wheels ran over her right leg, crushing it. Her left leg also sustained serious injuries.

She was initially shifted to a hospital in Bhadrachalam and later brought to Hyderabad for advanced treatment.

Police took the accused passenger into custody and registered a case.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has expressed grief over the death of the conductor. He conveyed his heartfelt condolences to her family.

The Chief Minister assured the family that the government will stand by them and extend every possible assistance.

Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar expressed shock and grief. The minister, who had called on the injured conductor a few days ago, conveyed his condolences to her family and assured them that the government and TGSRTC would stand by them. He also said strict action was being taken against those responsible for the incident.

The state government has announced Rs 10 lakh ex gratia for the family of Pravalika. It also announced that the family will be allotted a house under the ‘Indiramma Indlu’ scheme. The deceased’s mother will also be provided with a government job.

Meanwhile, a bandh was observed by TGSRTC employees across the undivided Khammam district on Wednesday. Buses went off the roads following an appeal given by the Joint Action Committee of the employees.

TGSRC employees staged a protest at various places, demanding stringent punishment for the passenger responsible for the conductor’s death.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Lucknow Zonal Office, has secured the conviction of five accused in a money laundering case linked to a bank loan fraud involving Syndicate Bank, with a special court in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, sentencing each of them to three years of rigorous imprisonment.

The Special Judge, Ghaziabad, convicted V.N. Mathur, Rajeev Kumar, Arvind Chaudhary, Ankit Chaudhary and Pramod Kumar under Section 3, punishable under Section 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, through a judgment dated November 3, in Case No. 5/23.

The court awarded each convict three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000. In default of payment, they will undergo an additional three months of simple imprisonment.

The ED initiated its investigation based on two FIRs registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), Ghaziabad, following a complaint by the Chief Vigilance Officer of Syndicate Bank.

In the scheduled offence, the Special Judge, CBI Court No. 2, Ghaziabad, had convicted V.N. Mathur, the then Branch Manager, under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, while acquitting Rajeev Kumar and Pramod Kumar.

However, the ED stated that Rajeev Kumar and Pramod Kumar have now been convicted of money laundering based on the evidence and material placed on record by the agency.

According to the investigation, Mathur, who was the Branch Manager of Syndicate Bank’s Gajraula branch during 2006-07, entered into a criminal conspiracy with late Narendra Singh, Arvind Chaudhary and others.

As part of the conspiracy, he sanctioned loans and overdraft limits to them, their firms and associates on the basis of forged sale deeds of non-existent properties, false non-encumbrance certificates and fabricated valuation reports.

The investigation further revealed that the loan proceeds were not utilised for their sanctioned purposes. Instead, the funds were withdrawn in cash and routed through various savings bank accounts and demand drafts to conceal their illicit origins.

The proceeds were subsequently invested in immovable properties, including plots in Alipur, J.P. Nagar district, and Dehradun.

The ED stated that the accused knowingly acquired, possessed, used and concealed the proceeds of crime and projected them as untainted property, thereby committing the offence of money laundering under the PMLA, 2002.