Mumbai: E-Commerce Firm’s Employee Turns Out Mastermind Behind ₹1.33 Crore Heist

The police have solved the sensational theft of ₹1.33 crore from the office of an e-commerce company in Prabhadevi, with WhatsApp profiles and video calls proving crucial to the investigation. In a startling revelation, the mastermind behind the crime turned out to be an employee of the company itself. While one accused has been arrested, the second accomplice who actually executed the theft has fled to Uttar Pradesh, and a police team has been dispatched to nab him. Police have so far recovered ₹1.13 crore from the arrested accused.

The case was registered on the complaint of Dadar resident Sagar Dubey (27). Dubey had founded the e-commerce company in 2018 along with Harshil Sutare and Gautam Chauhan. The company deals in online and offline sales of mobile phones and other electronic goods. According to police, cash received from sales was routinely kept at the company’s Prabhadevi office. Due to the Model Code of Conduct being in force, around ₹1.33 crore collected since December 16 had been stored in an office cupboard.

On January 17, when employees reached the office, they found the biometric lock at the entrance damaged. Upon inspection, it was discovered that ₹1.33 crore had been stolen from one section of the cupboard, while ₹8.70 lakh kept in another section was untouched. CCTV footage revealed shocking details. Senior Inspector Dyaneshwar Awari of Dadar Police Station said one of the accused was seen moving around the office with complete confidence, clearly indicating thorough knowledge of the premises. He had cut off the power supply, disabled the biometric lock and entered using a duplicate key before escaping with the cash.

During the investigation, Assistant Police Inspector Ramkrishna Sagade revealed that the thief was being guided from outside through WhatsApp video calls. The accused had duplicate keys of both the office and the cupboard and was receiving step-by-step instructions. Based on WhatsApp profiles, call records and questioning of employees, the police concluded that the theft was the result of an internal conspiracy.

Subsequently, the police arrested Vakola resident Roshan Shivkumar Jaiswar (25). According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Mahendra Pandit, Jaiswar had called Ravi Kumar Jha from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh to carry out the theft and explained the entire plan to him over video calls, including how to disable the biometric lock and access the cash. “We have recovered ₹1.13 crore from Jaiswar. The second accused is absconding and efforts are on to trace him,” the DCP said.

Police said the arrested accused had been working with the company for the past four years, while the absconding accused had been brought from his native village and employed by him. During interrogation, the accused confessed that poor financial condition and mounting debts drove him to hatch the plan to steal the money.