The curious case of the missing jewels

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Saritha Rai : Dec 03 2012, 03:23 IST

palatial home in Sadashivnagar. In 2009, Akram started taking valuables from the family’s collection and passing them to his friend in a neighbouring town. These included pieces of jewellery, silverware and antiques. The mega-theft was discovered when the police stumbled upon Akram’s accomplice suspiciously hawking a pricey gold anklet in a pawn shop. The recovered loot included a diamond- studded gold necklace and a large pearl chain. The duo had managed to sell much of the jewellery and antiques in cities like Jaipur and Hyderabad.

Amar Kumar Pandey, an inspector-general of police overseeing the case, said, “it is a strange situation where no complaint was lodged despite so many valuables being plundered.” Many of the items, investigators said, were added to the list solely based on the thief’s confession. Among the few treasures that the family missed , but dismissed as being misplaced, was a diamond-encrusted gold crown. A case was finally registered last month. The domestic help and his accomplice are out on bail since they could initially be charged only for possessing stolen property.

In contrast to the Adikesavulu case, officers say many couples rush to the police station when a ring or bangle goes missing from the household. They invariably suspect their domestic employee. “Such incidents are increasing as a consequence of the growing disparity between those who have a lot and many who have nothing,” said Abdul Khadar, the police inspector investigating the Adikesavulu case. But, he said, this was the first case in 18 years in which

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