The Central Crime Branch officers have arrested a 27-year-old woman who allegedly entered the home of a 66-year-old woman under the pretext of inspecting the property, locked her inside, and escaped with valuables worth around ₹1.5 crore. The accused has been identified as Jyoti Mohan Bhanushali, from whom the Manikpur police have recovered the entire stolen property.
Investigations revealed that Jyoti is the real sister of the complainant’s daughter-in-law. In a shocking twist, she had disguised herself as a man to carry out the robbery, aiming to avoid recognition and arrest.
According to police, the complainant, a senior citizen residing in the jurisdiction of Manickpur Police Station, was alone at home on the afternoon of 11 August. Around 1:30 pm, a man arrived at her house claiming he wanted to see the property. Once inside, he pretended to go to the bathroom but instead locked the complainant in and decamped with gold and silver ornaments worth crores.
After the incident, Manickpur Police and crime branch teams rushed to the spot. A case was registered and a manhunt was launched. Senior police officials took serious note of the crime and instructed local police and crime branch officers to conduct a parallel investigation.
Officers examined over 75–80 CCTV footage clips from the area. One clip showed the suspect hiding the stolen goods in a particular location, after which a woman retrieved them and fled. The man was not seen thereafter, indicating a woman’s direct involvement.
Based on technical inputs, a special crime branch team tracked the woman to Navsari, Gujarat, with the help of Gandevi Police. Jyoti Bhanushali was detained for questioning, during which it was revealed she was the sister of the complainant’s daughter-in-law and had disguised herself as a man for the robbery. Knowing her elderly relative stayed alone, she ensured her identity remained hidden before locking the victim in the bathroom and escaping with valuables.
From her residence, police recovered 1,490 grams of gold jewellery and 2,320 grams of silver ornaments, valued at ₹1,50,84,000. She was brought to Vasai for further investigation and produced before the court, which remanded her to police custody.