Bhayander couple arrested for drugging, robbing jeweller

A 25-year-old woman and her husband were arrested by the Navghar police for allegedly spiking the drink of a Bhayander-based jeweller and decamping with gold worth Rs15 lakh. The jeweller and his employee had dozed off after consuming the drink given to them by the couple. They were discharged from the hospital on Tuesday.

The accused, Anuradha Batra, 25, and her second husband, Satyaprakash Changamal Kalwani, 24, were arrested from their hideout at Jalna in Aurangabad.

Batra became a close friend of Lokesh Joshi, 30, owner of Mangalmurti Jewellers, and had messaged him on WhatsApp about his business being run in a lackadaisical manner. On Sunday, Batra reached the shop along with Satyaprakash carrying with them water mixed with Clonapax and incense sticks, and on the pretext of performing puja that would make them rich, “Batra gave them the drink and sweets and the two soon fell asleep. The woman decamped with the gold ornaments and cash,” said a police officer.

“The drink had been laced with eight sleeping pills. We are investigating as to who gave them the drugs without prescription. The jewellers were excited about the puja which was supposed to make them rich,” said a police officer.

A case has been registered under section 328 (causing hurt by means of poison) and 380 (theft) of the IPC. “The two will also be charged under the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013,” said Chandrakant Joshi, deputy superintendent of police, Thane rural. A total of 480gms of gold worth around Rs15 lakh was recovered from them.