No bail order yet, woman advocate threatened by accused’s father

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A woman advocate faced death threats and an attempted assault from the father of an accused in a Rs 3.75 crore gold theft case at the court premises on December 11. The accused’s father, Bhursingh Raj Purohit, a resident of Rajasthan, became violent after a bail order for his son was granted. Pundliknagar police have registered a case against him.

Bhursingh had initially approached the advocate on November 11 for legal help to secure his son’s bail. The son, Sureshkumar Purohit, was in jail for allegedly stealing Rs 3.26 crore worth of gold and Rs 4 lakh cash from Gujarat-based trader Vijay Singh Khishi in Shirdi on May 14. After the bail was granted on December 10, Bhursingh returned to the court the next day, demanding the bail order in person. When the advocate explained it would be available online and reminded him of the pending Rs 45,000 fee, Bhursingh became aggressive, abused her, and charged toward her. He reportedly shouted at other lawyers as well and threatened, “Once my son is out of jail, we will finish you. If we can steal gold in Maharashtra, taking your life is nothing.”

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What was the Rs 3.75‑crore gold theft case?

On May 7, Gujarat-based gold trader Vijay Singh Khishi arrived in Shirdi and nearby areas with 4.873 kg of gold for sale. After selling some portion of it, he stayed in Shirdi on May 14. His driver, Sureshkumar, son of Bhursingh Raj Purohit, who had joined just two months earlier, allegedly stole 1.25 kg of gold worth Rs 3.26 crore along with Rs 4 lakh cash from his room and fled. Shirdi police later traced and arrested him. Since then, Bhursingh had been trying to get his son released on bail.