Fake shrinks cheat depressed woman of 4 kg gold

Victim came to her parents’ home for her birthday and committed the theft. Representation pic

A young woman battling depression was allegedly brainwashed by a brother-sister duo from Delhi, leading her to steal around 4 kg of gold, silver, diamonds, and other jewellery from her family. The incident came to light last month when the woman's family in Mumbai discovered their locker emptied of valuables. Reviewing CCTV footage, they were stunned to find out it was their daughter.

According to the police sources, the complainant, a 58-year-old in the hotel business running a chain of veg restaurants in the city residing at Malad East with his wife and 26-year-old son, had a daughter who married and was residing with her husband in Surat.

The complainant filed a case of theft at the Dindoshi police station against his daughter alleging that she had stolen 4 kg of gold and other ornaments.

The accused were arrested from Delhi. Representation pic

The police summoned the daughter for interrogation, and she disclosed the entire story during the investigation. She revealed how the accused manipulated her and took advantage of her vulnerable mental state. Her confession led the police to Delhi, where the brother-sister duo was arrested. The accused admitted their crime and identified the jeweller who purchased the stolen items and later arrested too.

The arrested accused were identified as Ritu Ashok Prasad Singh, 30, Mayankumar Ashok Prasad Singh, 19, and the jeweller Aman Subhash Chauhan, 34.
As per the statement given to the police, the woman came with her daughter to Mumbai alone on October 12 as it was her birthday. She stayed with her parents till October 23.

On October 24, the woman's father (complainant) and brother went to Surat for some work. After the father received a call from his brother that his wife wasn't feeling well, he returned with his son the next day.

The complainant's wife was admitted to a private hospital in Malad on October 25 and discharged on October 27.

After she was discharged from the hospital and things had settled at home, the family noticed that their jewellery was missing. Upon checking the CCTV footage, the complainant discovered that his daughter, who had come from Surat with just one bag, was carrying three bags when she left.

When he called to inquire about the missing jewellery, she responded rudely. He even called her and the husband to Mumbai for further inquiries, but she refused to cooperate. Realising that no one but his daughter could have committed the theft, he filed a complaint at the police station.

Under the guidance of DCP Smita Patil and Senior Inspector Ajay Aafale, API Chandrakant Gharge and PSI Ajit Desai, along with their team, began the investigation. The daughter was summoned and questioned. During interrogation, she confessed to the theft.

She admitted to struggling with depression for the past few years and, in an effort to seek help, began searching for a psychiatrist or counsellor online. During this search, she came into contact with the brother-sister duo on social media. Over the past year, they manipulated her with false promises of counselling. Under their influence, she stole jewellery from her father's house and handed it over to them.

"Currently, all three accused are in police custody, and further investigation is ongoing. The complainant's daughter has not been arrested but has been treated respectfully. She has been instructed to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation," an officer from Dindoshi police station said.

19 and 30
Age of the accused duo

26
Age of the victim