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Mumbai: Wadilal Patel, a house help of the Maftlal
family has been arrested for stealing antiques worth
Rs. 6 lakh after the complain filed by the Sheetal Maftlal
with Gamdevi Police on 4th October 2005.
Patel (76) was arrested from his residence in Vile
Parle on Tuesday night. Initially he denied any knowledge
about the antiques missing from the house of the Mafatlals.
But later after interrogation he confessed his crime.
He took police to a scrap dealer, M/S Jagruti Paper
Mart, at Kemps Corner, to whom he sold the fountain
for just Rs 1,500.
Sheetal Mafatlal had lodged a complaint with Gamdevi
police on October 4, 2005 when she realised that the
fountain and two metal Chinese flower pots were missing
from the store room.
The antiques included two Chinese flower pot worth Rs.
1lakh each which has not yet been traced and the fountain
about Rs 4 lakh. The scrap dealer told police that he
had bought the fountain, but knew nothing about the
flower pots. The antiques were gifted to Sheetal during
her wedding Atulya Mafatlal on December 21, 2000.
Wadilal Patel has been serving the family for last
25 years. The keys of the store were with Wadilal and
Ratilal Patel (57). Ratilal is absconding.
A legal battle with mother-in-law Madhuri over the
use of their residence on Altamount Road had kept Sheetal
Maftlal engaged when the robbery took place.
Madhuri had said in her statement to the court that
Sheetal's complaint on the theft of antiques was false
and meant to pressure her and son Ajay to vacate the
place.
The case is being investigated under sections 381 (theft)
and 34 (commited by more than one person with common
intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
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