Story perspectives

Man Arrested After Selling Stolen Gold for SUV

By Drooid · Oct 26, 2026, 10:37 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Samar Popat Chavan stole his uncle’s gold jewellery and sold it for Rs 10 lakh.
He used the proceeds to purchase a Mahindra Thar SUV.
Police arrested Chavan and jeweller Sangram Babaso More on Oct 26, 2026.
DSP Shrikant Thikane’s team recovered the gold and seized the Thar, valuing assets at Rs 30.51 lakh.
The uncle, unaware of the theft, was invited to the Thar’s puja ceremony.

History

Historical Context

1998 Indian Customs, led by senior officer R. K. Singh, seized 1,200 kg of gold worth roughly Rs 100 crore and convicted jeweller Rajesh Mehta, marking a climax of smuggling that surged after liberalisation repealed the 1968 Gold (Control) Act. The raid presaged later spikes driven by high import duties in 2011-12 and the 2020 Trivandrum diplomatic-baggage gold seizure.

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Story summary

Samar Popat Chavan stole his uncle’s gold jewellery and sold it for Rs 10 lakh.
He used the proceeds to purchase a Mahindra Thar SUV.
Police arrested Chavan and jeweller Sangram Babaso More on Oct 26, 2026.
DSP Shrikant Thikane’s team recovered the gold and seized the Thar, valuing assets at Rs 30.51 lakh.
The uncle, unaware of the theft, was invited to the Thar’s puja ceremony.

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