Pune: The court of additional sessions judge MG Chavan on Feb 26 rejected the anticipatory bail plea of a jeweller accused of receiving stolen ornaments worth nearly Rs16 lakh, observing that his custodial interrogation was necessary as the jewellery involved in the crime was yet to be recovered. The jeweller had sought relief apprehending his arrest in the case registered by the Bharatiya Vidyapeeth police.According to the prosecution, a complaint was lodged on Oct 31, 2025 regarding theft of gold and silver ornaments from a house. The stolen items included about 320 grams of gold ornaments and 100 grams of silver ornaments, together valued at Rs15.98 lakh. During investigation, police arrested a co-accused who disclosed that he had sold the stolen ornaments to the applicant, the proprietor of a jewellery shop. Based on this statement, the police named the jeweller as a wanted accused in the case. The jeweller claimed in his application he had been falsely implicated and that any transaction between him and the co-accused was purely commercial in nature. He contended that he had no knowledge that the ornaments were stolen and argued that his custodial interrogation was not required.The prosecution countered this by submitting that the co-accused had specifically stated that the stolen ornaments were sold to the applicant at a lower price. It also told the court that the applicant had not cooperated with the investigation despite being issued notice and that the stolen property had not yet been recovered.The court observed, “Considering the grounds put forth by prosecution and grounds raised by applicant himself, for seeking relief in his bail application there appears linking prima facie material on record to connect the applicant with commission of crime. Considering the seriousness of offence, gravity of it and hugeness of ornaments involved in the crime, detail investigation up to root is imperative in nature and certainly, that is not possible without custodial interrogation of applicant.“
