Rs 30 Pav Bhaji Leads Police to Solve 3 Crore Jewellery Heist in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi

On Monday, Kalaburagi police cracked a 3-crore daytime robbery using a key clue — a Rs.30 pav bhaji payment via digital wallet. This transaction helped police track and arrest three suspects: Ayodhya Prasad Chouhan, Farooq Ahmed Malik, and Sohail Shaikh. Farooq, a gold merchant from West Bengal, and tailor Sohail from Mumbai were involved. Police recovered gold worth ₹2.15 crore from them. The pav bhaji payment proved crucial in linking the suspects to the robbery and tracing their movements.

On July 11, four masked men robbed Marthula Malik’s jewellery store in Kalaburagi, stealing 3 kg of gold and cash. They tied the owner’s hands and feet before escaping. Police reviewed CCTV footage and traced a Rs.30 digital payment for pav bhaji made shortly after the robbery. This payment became the key breakthrough. Following this lead, police conducted operations across Karnataka, Maharashtra, and West Bengal, arresting the suspects. Authorities say the case shows how small digital footprints can help solve major crimes in today’s surveillance era.

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PhonePe Payment Uncovers 3-Crore Jewellery Heist in Kalaburagi

Kalaburagi police solved a Rs.3-crore jewellery heist after tracing a Rs.30 pav bhaji payment made by mastermind Farooq Ahmed Malik through PhonePe. Farooq, burdened with Rs.40 lakh debt, led the July 11 robbery where he and his accomplices tied up the jeweller and looted gold and cash from the shop. The shop owner initially misled police by claiming only 805 grams of gold were stolen to hide undeclared gold. However, police recovered 2.865 kg of gold and Rs.4.8 lakh in cash. They examined CCTV footage and used the digital transaction to track Farooq’s phone number and locate the suspects.

Police followed a PhonePe transaction and linked it to Farooq’s number, using it to track the suspects. Although the robbers had discarded their phones, police waited in their hometowns until they returned. After melting and selling part of the stolen gold, the gang tried to resume normal life, but officers arrested them one by one. The robbers had used a gun-shaped lighter to threaten the jeweller and fled to Mumbai by bus before splitting up. Jeweller Marthula Malik later admitted that 3 kg of gold was stolen, leading police to probe his role for hiding undeclared assets. Two suspects, Arbaz and Sajid, are still on the run.

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