Entrusted to deposit money, man flees with the booty; a call by his wife exposes his crime and cops nab him

The Juhu police yesterday arrested an accountant working with a private firm for robbing Rs 30 lakh, which he was entrusted with to deposit in a bank.

The accused Ketan Shah (36) is a resident of LT Marg area and works as an accountant in a book manufacturing company, located at Vile Parle (West). Last Friday, Shah's employer gave him Rs 30 lakh to deposit at the State Bank of India's Vile Parle branch.

Since Shah had informed that he would directly go home after depositing the amount, the employer did not bother to check with him. However, it was only after Shah's wife called up at his office on Saturday to check on her husband's whereabouts, as he had not returned home since Friday, did the employer learn about the robbery. "Shah's wife tried contacting him, but failed to get through. She then approached the LT Marg police and lodged a missing person's complaint with them. Simultaneously, Shah's employer approached us and narrated the incident," said an official from the Juhu police station. After scrutinising Shah's call records, the police learnt that the accused had called someone in Borivli. Further investigations revealed that the number belonged to the woman with whom Shah was in an illicit relationship for the last eight years. The cops also learnt that the woman is a divorcee and has children.

After questioning her, the woman divulged that Shah had spoken to her about the cash and said that he would be marrying her soon. Acting on this information, the Juhu police laid a trap and arrested Shah when he came to meet the woman in Borivli.

"We have arrested Shah on charges of cheating and theft. He will be produced in the court today. So far, we have recovered around Rs 28.5 lakh from him," said an official from Juhu police station.

Illicit affair
According to the police, despite being married, Shah was having an extramarital affair with a divorcee for the past eight years. He claims to have stolen the money so that he could marry her.