Delivery man flees with jewellery worth 80 lakh

Ahmedabad: A 25-year-old parcel delivery worker went missing with jewellery, diamonds, and silver worth over Rs 80 lakh that were to be delivered from Ahmedabad to Bhuj and Gandhidham, following which a complaint was lodged with the Kalupur police on Monday. According to the FIR filed with Kalupur police by a businessman, Ankit Parekh, proprietor of H Praveenkumar & Co located in Nagarsheth Market, Ratanpol, the accused was employed on May 1 to transport parcels for the firm, which runs 12 branches across Gujarat.Police said multiple jewellers and traders had dispatched parcels through the firm on May 6 for delivery to Kutch. The consignments included nearly 30kg of silver valued at about Rs 73 lakh, along with gold ornaments, diamonds, pearls, coins, and other valuables. The overall value of the parcels was estimated at Rs 80.6 lakh.The complainant stated that the parcels belonged to various traders, including jewellers from Bhuj, and were handed over to the accused for transportation via bus. Around 9.30pm on May 6, the accused was accompanied by the firm's accountant to a private travel operator's office in Paldi, from where he boarded a bus bound for Bhuj.The next morning, an employee from the company's Bhuj branch reached Jubilee Circle to collect the parcels after the bus arrived between 7.15am and 7.30am. However, the accused was not found, and his mobile phone was switched off. After repeated attempts to reach him failed, the firm initiated its own search but was unable to trace either the accused or the consignment. Kalupur police have registered an offence of criminal breach of trust and cheating in the matter.