Siliguri, 17th December: The Pradhan Nagar police station’s plainclothes team, recovered gold and silver jewellery worth several lakh rupees stolen from Prafulla Nagar and arrested a gold trader from Bihar in connection with the case. The arrested trader has been identified as Ashok Kumar Sah (56), a resident of Muzaffarpur, Bihar.
According to police reports, on 13th December, Chandu Kumar Mandal, a resident of Prafulla Nagar under Ward No. 46, filed a written complaint at Pradhan Nagar police station, stating that gold and silver jewellery worth approximately Rs 6 lakh had been stolen from his house. The theft occurred between 28th November, when he left his home unattended, and 10th December, when he returned to find his home ransacked and the jewellery missing from the cupboard.
During the investigation, police obtained CCTV footage from the house, which helped them identify the main suspect. Following a focused operation, the police arrested the thief, Suraj Kumar Singh, from Lower Bhanu Nagar within hours. Suraj Kumar Singh was presented in Siliguri court on 14th December and taken on remand.
During interrogation, Suraj Kumar Singh revealed that he had sold the stolen jewellery to gold trader Ashok Kumar Sah. Acting on this information, the police tracked and arrested Ashok Kumar Sah from Bihar, nearly 600 kilometres away. The stolen items were also recovered during the operation.
Ashok Kumar Sah was produced before Siliguri court on Wednesday, and police have sought his remand for further investigation. The case remains under detailed investigation by the Pradhan Nagar police.