Police Find Thief As Jewelry Chain Owner, 18-Years After His Gold Heist; Nabbed (Photo @Pixabay)

18 years of search for a theft suspect of a jewelry store in Muvattupuzha eventually led the police surprisingly finding him leading a rich life, owning four jeweleries in Mumbai.

It was during Kerala’s chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s Nava Kerala Sadas that the Kallarackal jewelry store owner, which was looted in 2006, filed a complaint for a reinvestigation of the case. Launching a fresh investigation, the police tracked the suspect, 53-year-old Mahendra Hashba Yadav, and his family using their social media accounts. The police could find them at Mulund in Mumbai, living in a costly Bangalaw. Upon learning the criminal background of Yadav, the locals who knew him as a respected neighbour were appalled, Onmanorama reports.

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Nearly two decades ago, Yadav was working as a faithful goldsmith at Kallarackal Jewelry for around 15 years. His family was also living with him in Muvattupuzha, and he had the role of collecting gold for purification in the store. In 2006, Yadav and his family fled the city after collecting a batch of gold and borrowing Rs 1.5 lakh from a friend.

Though the police attempted to locate Yadav in his hometown of Sangli, Maharashtra, they could not locate him. However, under the fresh investigation under the leadership of Ernakulam Rural SP Vaibhav Saxena, police could track the whereabouts of the family using Yadav’s children’s social media and bank accounts.

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When Yadav was caught by the officials, he reportedly tried to bribe them, offering double the stolen gold in exchange for his release. He had used the stolen gold to establish a business, which grew into a successful chain of jewelry stores later.