Mumbai trader accuses driver of stealing cash & gold worth 3.3cr

Nashik: The driver of a Mumbai trader was booked on Wednesday evening for allegedly stealing a bag containing gold ornaments worth Rs 3.25 crore, as well as Rs 4 lakh in cash, from their hotel room in Shirdi the previous night before fleeing.Superintendent of police Rakesh Ola of Ahilyanagar district confirmed that the Shirdi police registered a case of gold and cash theft on Wednesday evening. "The trader, Vijaysing Khishi, has accused his driver of stealing the items from their hotel room on Tuesday night," the SP said.According to the police reports, the trader, along with his driver and an employee, were staying at the hotel in Shirdi since May 7. "During their stay, the trader would visit gold shops to showcase and sell ornaments. After dinner on Tuesday night, they all went to bed with the valuables stored safely, the police said. The next morning, however, the trader's brother came to visit him at the hotel and found the room door open."When the trader's brother entered the room, he found the trader and the other employee sleeping, but the driver was missing," inspector Ranjit Galande of the Shirdi police said. "The trader had no idea where the driver was, and since his cellphone was still in the room, they initially thought he might be nearby and conducted a fruitless search," the inspector said."The trader later found that his bag containing gold and cash was missing," Galande said.He added, "We reviewed the CCTV footage, which showed the driver leaving the room at 12.40am on Wednesday. Initially, it appears he acted alone, but we can't rule out potential help, so we're tracking his movements."