Mumbai: Father-Son Duo Held for Stealing 11 Kg Gold, Buried Loot in Junagadh Jungle

The MHB Police have arrested a 19-year-old man and his father for allegedly orchestrating a major gold theft from a jewellery company where the son was employed. The duo, along with an accomplice, reportedly stole over 11 kilograms of gold jewellery, which they later buried deep in the thorny jungles of Junagadh, Gujarat, in a bid to evade detection.

According to police officials, the prime accused, Jignesh Kuchadia, was working with JP Export Gold and Diamond Jewellery Company. He allegedly used his position to carry out the theft with the help of his father Nathabhai Kuchadia and a friend, Yash Odedra. The trio used a friend’s Mahindra Thar SUV to flee the city after the crime.

The company had dispatched the gold for sale across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. After the gold was sold, Jignesh, who was assisting the firm’s sales representative Ajay Ghagda, fled with two bags filled with jewellery. Following the filing of an FIR, Deputy Commissioner of Police Anand Bhoite and Senior Inspector Ganesh Pawar formed special teams to track down the accused.

Using technical surveillance and intelligence inputs, the police traced the suspects to Gujarat. During interrogation, Nathabhai revealed that the stolen gold had been buried in the forested area of Manikwada. A police team recovered a box containing 11,107.05 grams of gold jewellery valued at approximately ₹11.01 crore.

All three accused — Jignesh Kuchadia (19), Yash Odedra (21), and Nathabhai Kuchadia (50) — have been arrested. The Mahindra Thar vehicle worth ₹20 lakh used in the getaway has also been seized. The accused were brought back to Mumbai on transit remand and produced in court, which remanded them to police custody till June 30 for further investigation.