Bengaluru: Gold ornaments worth over ₹2.8 crore missing as jewellery store employee flees

A gold jewellery store employee in Bengaluru has allegedly fled with over 3.1 kg of gold ornaments, valued at more than ₹2.8 crore. The incident took place at a jewellery store located on CT Street, where the accused, Rajendra Kumar from Rajasthan, was employed for the past year.

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Rajendra was responsible for facilitating hallmark certification of gold ornaments on behalf of the store. According to the complaint filed by Rakesh Kumar K, 49, owner of Mehta Jewels, his business involves crafting gold ornaments from solid gold received from other jewellers, obtaining hallmark certifications, and delivering the finished pieces back to the clients.

On April 3, Rakesh handed over 2.7 kg of gold ornaments to Rajendra to be taken to Mehta Lab Hall for hallmarking, followed by an additional 400 grams on April 4. That same evening, Rajendra was instructed to collect the certified 3.1 kg of ornaments from the lab.

However, after collecting the jewellery, Rajendra failed to return to the shop and became untraceable. Attempts to contact him were unsuccessful, prompting the store owner to lodge a police complaint.

The Halasurugate police have registered a case under BNS Section 306, which pertains to theft by a clerk or servant entrusted with the property of their employer. Investigations are underway, and efforts are on to locate and apprehend the suspect.