Bilimora: Nearly nine months after the theft of around 220 gold sovereigns engraved with King George V’s image from a house undergoing demolition in Bilimora, Navsari, the homeowner, Hawaben Balia, who currently resides in Leicester, UK, has taken legal action against five individuals. The complaint targets the contractor responsible for the demolition, Sarfaraz Karadiya, a resident of Valsad, and four workers from Alirajpur in Madhya Pradesh: Rajubhai, Bajari, Ramkubai, and Dineshbhai.
The police have registered a case against these individuals under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 114 (abettor present at the spot when the offense is committed) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The investigation into the matter has been transferred from the Bilimora police to the Local Crime Branch of Navsari police.
Hawaben Balia’s complaint outlined that she had acquired the property from her husband’s cousin in 2009 and had been residing in the house during her visits to India. During her last visit in December 2022, she noticed the deteriorating condition of the property and subsequently hired Karadiya to demolish the structure. She explicitly instructed Karadiya that any valuable items or documents discovered during the demolition should be handed over to her. However, Karadiya failed to report the discovery of the gold sovereigns, remaining silent about their existence.
Demolition work commenced on January 18 and was completed by January 28, while Hawaben had already left for the UK. Karadiya even paid her Rs 1.15 lakh for the old wood logs, doors, and other items salvaged from the house. However, on July 21, 2022, she received a call from the Madhya Pradesh police inquiring about the details of the four workers who had participated in the demolition. The police informed her that these workers had allegedly found the gold sovereigns and had returned to their hometown with them.
According to the police, the four workers divided the coins evenly among themselves, and the news of the gold coins eventually spread throughout their village in Madhya Pradesh. This information reached the Sendhwa police station, leading to an investigation and the recovery of the stolen sovereigns. One of the workers, Ramkubai, visited a jeweler in Alirajpur to verify the authenticity of the gold coins, further fueling the revelation of the theft.
The case underlines the intricate chain of events and interactions that led to the discovery and subsequent return of the stolen gold sovereigns, shedding light on the complexities surrounding property ownership and its legal ramifications.