Reel shoot turns into Rs21L heist, four arrested in Akola

Akola: A woman reel creator in Akola allegedly hatched a plan to steal gold jewellery and cash collectively valued at Rs21 lakh from her reel star friend. Police have arrested four persons in connection with the case, including the accused woman, her boyfriend and two associates.Police said, the accused, Samiksha Ganwai, and the complainant, Neha Sawdekar, were neighbours and close friends. The two frequently visited each other's houses, with free access even to the kitchen and bedroom, which helped the accused gain the victim's trust and move around the house without raising suspicion.
The incident took place on Feb 12. Police said Samiksha called Neha to her house, telling her that a few friends had come over and wanted to shoot reels together. For about one-and-a-half hours, the group recorded reels from different angles.During the shoot, Samiksha reportedly told the group that she was going to change her clothes and stepped out for a few minutes. Investigators say she instead went to Neha's house and stole around 150gm gold jewellery valued at approximately Rs21 lakh, along with Rs90,000 cash kept in an almirah. She then handed over the stolen jewellery and cash to her boyfriend and quietly returned to the shoot to avoid suspicion.After the shoot concluded and everyone left, Neha later checked her house and found the jewellery and cash missing. She immediately lodged a complaint at the Old City police station. During investigation, police analysed the movement, mobile call details and activities of everyone present during the shoot. It emerged that Samiksha was the only person who had stepped out for a few minutes in the middle of the recording. This brief absence became the crucial lead in the case.On being taken into custody and quizzed, Samiksha allegedly confessed to the crime. Police said the stolen property was first kept with her and later handed over to her boyfriend, who, with the help of another friend, hid the jewellery and cash at different locations.A portion of the stolen booty was recovered from an accused's associate in Amravati. Police have recovered the entire stolen gold and cash. The investigation in the case is being led by Old City police station in-charge Nitin Levhankar. All four accused have been arrested and further investigation is underway.