WB man arrested for fleeing with 1.4cr gold

Kanpur: Police arrested a West Bengal man, Manas Het, who allegedly fled with gold worth over Rs 1.4 crore from two bullion traders on Birhana Road here in 2024. Police said the accused, who was absconding since Dec, 2024, was arrested and sent to jail on court orders. Manas Het, a resident of Sagarpur in Medinipur district of West Bengal, was carrying a cash reward of Rs 10,000. During interrogation, the accused claimed that he lost the entire amount in betting during Indian Premier League (IPL)
According to police, Sheikh Sarfaraz Ali, a bullion trader residing in Civil Lines, owns a shop jewellery showroom on Birhana Road. Manas had been working at the shop for the past four years and was living in a rented accommodation in Pheelkhana. On Dec 5, 2024, Sarfaraz Ali handed over 891 grams of 24-carat gold worth Rs 70,17,049 at the time, to Manas for making jewellery. The next morning, when Sarfaraz Ali tried to contact him regarding the jewellery, his mobile phone was found switched off. During the search, it was found that Manas had also taken 995 grams of gold worth Rs 79,10,250 from another bullion trader, Gaurav Pal, a resident of Pheelkhana. Police said the accused fled with gold from the two traders worth Rs 1,49,27,299 .Pheelkhana station in-charge Ajay Mishra said that efforts were made to trace the accused over the past two years and a non-bailable warrant was also obtained. Manas confessed that after fleeing with the gold, he returned to West Bengal. Later he placed bets during IPL and claimed to have lost the entire gold consignment in betting .