2 college girls among 3 held for gold theft

HYDERABAD: Two young girls and their accomplice who were involved in the theft of one kg gold ornaments from a house in Sultan Bazar four days back were arrested on Friday and all the stolen property recovered.Police said the two girls played a vital role including getting a false key of the house made and also in stealing the gold ornaments.The theft had taken place in the house of Jithender Jain who lives on the first floor of Sai Vanam Apartments in Kanda Swamy lane of Sultan Bazar.Jithender works as a manager in a private transport firm at Chappal Bazar and is also into private finance.On Monday last, he left home for office while his wife went to Gandhi Gyan Mandir to attend in an event.Jithender and his wife reached home in the evening to find their rooms ransacked and nearly one kg gold ornaments missing.Investigating the case, police found the door locks were not forcibly opened which made them suspect some persons known to the family were involved in the theft.Unraveling the mystery, police arrested three youngsters on Friday who stay in the apartment complex.They include 20-yearold Amitha Shah, a B.Com final year student of St George Degree College at Abids, 18-year-old Ankitha Dounde, a B.Com second year student of VV College at Jambagh and 21-year-old K Sushil Sagar, who owns Samina cloth shop at Badi Chowdi.Amitha is the neighbour of Jithender and only a three-feet wall separates their flats, police said.Sushil's flat is on second floor and Ankitha's on the third."Amitha and Sushil are friends for the past six years and had recently become friends with Ankitha.The trio wanted to lead a lavish life and Amitha and Sushil took a lead role in the entire planning and execution,'' Sultan Bazar assistant commissioner of police K Narayana said.A week before the theft, the two girls went to Jithender's house and entered into a conversation with his wife."Ankitha stole the keys and went out to get duplicate keys prepared while Amitha engaged the inmates.Ankitha returned after sometime and placed the original keys at their original place and all three left the place," Narayana said.On Monday last, Amitha and Ankitha opened the door with false keys and entered the house."Sushil kept watch on the ground floor on persons coming into the apartments and alert the two girls over mobile phone,'' Narayana said.The two girls searched almirahs in the house and gathered one kg gold ornaments, packed them and after coming out handed the same to Sushil.Police questioned shopkeepers on the ground floor who told the cops that no unknown person had entered the apartment."Sushil used to go to his shop in the morning and return at night.The shopkeepers said he was standing on the ground floor on the day the theft took place which made us suspicious,'' an investigating officer said.During questioning, Sushil spilled the beans and subsequently the two girls were arrested and the stolen gold recovered."The booty was stored in a car belonging to Sushil's relatives.With vehicle-checking going on in the city since the past few days, the trio feared to transport and dispose off the ornaments,'' the officer said.Sources said police got a vital tip-off from Saifabad police which played a key role in cracking the case.