Former Army Soldier Turned Thief: Pune Police Solve ₹13.77 Lakh Gold Heist
Former Army Soldier Turned Thief: Pune Police Solve ₹13.77 Lakh Gold Heist
Pune, April 5, 2025: In a major breakthrough, the Wanawadi Police have arrested a former Indian Army soldier who allegedly committed a house burglary and stole gold and silver ornaments worth ₹13.77 lakh from a government residence in the Command Hospital premises.
On March 7, a complaint was filed by Danajayan Vadivelu, a 35-year-old Army Havaldar, reporting that unidentified thieves broke into his flat at AICTS Married Quarters, Wanwadi, by breaking the lock and stole gold jewelry weighing 215 grams and 100 grams of silver ornaments. The case was registered under IPC Sections 331(4) and 305.
A special investigation team reviewed over 120 CCTV footages across a 20-km radius, finally identifying a suspect staying at a lodge near Pune Station. The suspect, identified as Amarjit Vinodkumar Sharma, 30, originally from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, was traced to Satara after he fled from Bengaluru. He had previously deserted his Army post in Rajasthan following heavy losses in online gambling.
Sharma used his Army ID card to gain unauthorized access to the Wanawadi Army quarters and admitted to the theft. Police recovered ₹23,600 cash, four mobile phones, a tablet, clothing, and burglary tools from his possession.
During interrogation, he confessed to selling some of the stolen gold to a Pune-based businessman, Karan Satya Prakash Dagar, who was also arrested, and 112 grams of gold was recovered. Another 50 grams of gold was seized from a jeweler in Delhi, where Sharma had pawned the jewelry using his Army credentials.
In total, the police recovered 162 grams of gold jewelry and arrested two individuals.
