Retired principal loses 8-tola gold jewellery in bus theft using child as distraction

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A group of women stole gold jewellery worth 8 tolas from retired principal Shrikant Zhirpe (58, Hasanpur, Shevgaon) during a bus journey from Shevgaon to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on November 10.

Police registered the case at Kranti chowk station on Tuesday. Zhirpe was traveling with his wife to visit their daughter in the city and had kept the jewelry in a box inside his bag. Four women in their mid-20s to 30s, two with small children, were seated nearby. One woman asked Zhirpe for a seat, which he offered. During the journey, one of the women dropped her child’s toy under the seat. While bending down to pick it up, she reached for Zhirpe’s bag. Although he tried to stop her, she claimed she was only retrieving the toy. After reaching his daughter’s home, Zhirpe discovered the jewellery was missing. Police registered the theft case after receiving the complaint.