After more than six weeks of intense search operations, Mumbai police finally caught up with four men in connection with a huge jewellery store theft in Borivali. The men were arrested in Rajasthan following a 48-day manhunt that took officers deep into forest areas as they tracked leads and followed tips.
The case dates back to the night of January 13–14, when gold, silver and diamond ornaments worth nearly ₹6.79 crore were stolen from a shop in IC Colony. Police say two of the shop’s own employees used a duplicate key to open the safe and made off with the jewels, sparking one of the biggest theft investigations the city has seen recently.
Once investigators realised the suspects had fled Maharashtra, they chased a trail to several forest blocks in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district, an area with dense tree cover that made the search difficult. Officers relied on drone surveillance with thermal imaging and valuable tips from local informants to help pinpoint hiding spots where the accused were moving between villages and jungle terrain.
The breakthrough came when police set up a trap near a forest route used by the suspects and managed to detain them after a brief attempt to escape. So far, authorities have recovered over 3 kg of gold jewellery and about 5 kg of silver ornaments worth crores of rupees, though efforts continue to locate everything that was stolen.
Senior officers said the operation was challenging because the accused changed hideouts often and deliberately avoided populated areas, but the combination of technology, intelligence and old-fashioned patrolling paid off. They are now investigating whether the group has links to other organised theft cases across states.
