Woman & hubby plot Rs 90 lakh theft at dad's house, held

Representative Image ROORKEE: A woman and her husband were among three people arrested in Roorkee for allegedly stealing Rs 90 lakh from her father's house, police said on Tuesday. The couple, under financial strain, plotted the theft after learning about the cash stored in one of the rooms. The money - recently received from a property sale - was reported missing from the locked house.

Mohammad Sarwar Ahmed , had sold a godown some time ago and decided to keep the proceeds - Rs 90 lakh - in cash in a vault at his unoccupied ancestral house. On April 10, he received a call from a neighbour informing him that the lock to the house had been broken. When he reached the property, he found the cash missing and immediately reported the theft to police.



Sarwar had mentioned to police that his daughter had visited the house that day, and he recalled her behaving strangely - speaking in hushed tones over the phone. That raised red flags. Investigators subsequently questioned the daughter and her husband, Azeem, a local gym trainer.

Within hours, both confessed to the crime. According to police, the couple were in financial distress. On the day of the theft, Azeem entered the house in the afternoon, removed the cash, and left unnoticed, while his wife stayed on a call with him.

The stolen money was distributed across locations. Azeem hid Rs 48 lakh at his residence, Rs 1 lakh at his health supplement shop, and handed Rs 10 lakh to his brother, Waseem. He also purchased jewellery with a portion of the stolen funds.

The police later arrested all three - Sarwar's daughter, Azeem, and Waseem - and recovered about Rs 60 lakh in cash, the jewellery, and the car used in the operation. The case was registered under BNS sections 305-A (theft) and 331-3 (housebreaking with intent to commit an offence)..