Rs 5 lakh in cash, jewellery stolen from Vaghela's bungalow

Cash and jewellery altogether worth Rs 5 lakh were stolen from former Gujarat Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela's house near here allegedly by a domestic help couple from Nepal, police said Monday.

The theft at the residence of Vaghela, a former Congress leader who is now in the NCP, took place in October last year, but a police complaint was lodged only Sunday by Vaghela's employee Suryasinh Chavda, they said.

Vaghela's house, a palatial bungalow named 'Vasant Vagado', is situated near Pethapur village on the outskirts of the Gandhinagar city.

As per the complaint lodged with the Pethapur police, the couple - Shambhu Gorkha aka Basudev Nepali and his wife Sharda - had allegedly stolen Rs 3 lakh in cash and gold jewellery worth Rs 2 lakh and fled to their native place in Kailali district of Nepal.

The cash and jewellery were kept in Vaghela's wife Gulab Baa's room in the bungalow, the police said, quoting from the complaint.

According to Chavda's complaint, suspicion fell on the husband-wife duo after they did not return from Nepal as promised when they left for their native place, the police said.

"Shambhu was hired around four years back. He along with his wife and kids used to live in the bungalow premises.

"In October, the couple left for their native place in Nepal claiming they wanted to admit their children in a school there," said Chavda in the complaint.

On February 7, Vaghela's wife noticed that cash and jewellery worth Rs 5 lakh, meant to be used for a marriage function in the family and kept in a cupboard, were missing, said police sub inspector of Pethapur A G Anurkar.

"When the family asked other servants about the missing valuables, it came to light the couple was tasked with cleaning of the room where they were kept.

"When Chavda contacted Shambhu over the phone, he promised to return soon.

"However, when he did not return, it got confirmed that the couple had stolen the valuables from the room and then fled to Nepal," said Anurkar, adding an investigation in the case was underway.