Pune teacher duped by Snapchat friend; Gold worth ₹14 lakh stolen during first meeting
Total Views |
Pune, July 24: A 24-year-old MBA graduate from Gujarat was arrested by Pune Police for allegedly stealing gold ornaments worth ₹14.39 lakh from the house of a 25-year-old school teacher in Kondhwa after befriending her on Snapchat for nearly two years.
The accused, identified as Yash Bhulchandani, was arrested from Mehsana, Gujarat, on July 21 following a technical investigation. He has been booked on charges of theft.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the victim, who works as a teacher at an international preschool in Pune, became friends with Bhulchandani on Snapchat around two years ago. The two remained in regular contact through social media and eventually decided to meet when Bhulchandani informed her that he was visiting Pune.
On June 25, Bhulchandani allegedly visited the teacher's residence in the Kondhwa area. After speaking with him for around 15 minutes, the woman briefly stepped out to deliver food to a relative living nearby. When she returned about 20 minutes later, Bhulchandani had disappeared.
Upon checking her bedroom, she found the cupboard open and discovered that cash and gold ornaments were missing. She subsequently filed a complaint at Kondhwa Police Station on June 26, following which an FIR was registered.
Accused Tracked Through Technical Evidence
During the investigation, police found that the accused was frequently changing his location to avoid detection. Using technical surveillance, a team led by Police Sub-Inspector Ravindra Gawade traced him to Vadodara, Gujarat, where he was apprehended before being brought to Pune.
Bhulchandani was produced before a local court on July 22, which remanded him to police custody until July 25.
Police Suspect Similar Modus Operandi
According to police, Bhulchandani had worked in Kenya and Ghana after completing his MBA. Investigators believe he suffered significant financial losses in share trading around 2022, after which he allegedly began befriending women through social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram.
Senior Police Inspector Santosh Khetmalas said that police recovered 160 grams of stolen gold ornaments worth ₹14.39 lakh from the accused. Officials also seized 17 SIM cards, indicating that he was highly tech-savvy and may have used multiple identities during his online interactions. The investigation is ongoing.