'Framed' jewellers train guns on cops

MUMBAI: Twenty-four jewellers, including the president of a jewellers' association in Mulund, were produced before the Mulund metropolitan court on Wednesday after the police arrested them for unlawful assembly, rioting and deterring the police from performing their duty.
The court released them on bail surety of Rs 15,000 each. "The court ordered the association's president, Bhagwati Jain (45), Narottam Sanghvi (75), Devlal Jain (74) and two others to visit the police station everyday till February 5.The accused manhandled constables at the police station and made abusive statements," DCP (Zone VII) Sanjay Shintre said.
TOI's attempts to speak with the association's president Bhagwati Jain (45), who owns Ritul Jewellers in Mulund (W), failed.
Also several other jewellers in Mulund (West) didn't respond to repeated calls made.
The arrest was made on Tuesday after Jain and the other jewellers staged a protest outside the police station and allegedly abused the police for arresting a jeweller named Pyarchand Sanghvi (65).
Sanghvi was arrested for his alleged role in buying stolen gold chains worth approximately Rs 1.2 lakh from a thief, Rajesh Chavan (22).
"Chavan's arrest helped us discover that most of the stolen property had been sold and purchased by jewellers in Mulund. It is difficult to recover the property despite catching the thieves," said senior PI Jivajirao Jadhav.
Jadhav said the matter worsened on Tuesday when Jain along with 23 others stormed at the police station and protested to free Sanghvi who was arrested on theft charges. "The arrest was made on the Sessions Court order that has rejected Sanghvi's anticipatory bail application on January 27," he said.
Jain and the others claimed during the protest on Tuesday that the police are framing Sanghvi for no reason despite him being innocent.
"Sanghvi was arrested only on the basis of Chavan's statement. Chavan said he has been selling the stolen valuables at Sanghvi's Natraj jewellery shop," he said.
On January 22 Sanghvi was called to the police station for questioning after Chavan was arrested. "Minutes after Sanghvi made his presence in the police station; Jain followed him and managed to take him away. Later he helped Sanghvi to go hiding," said the police.
narayan.namboodiri@timesgroup.com