Gold Ornaments Kept on Roof to Dry, Monkeys Ran Away with Them

A very strange case has come to light from Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh. The police had earlier claimed in court that monkeys had scattered and stolen gold ornaments kept in the police station’s storeroom.

The ornaments were part of a 2007 dowry murder case. After the husband was acquitted in February 2024, he filed an application to get the family jewellery back. In response, the police told the court that in 2013, due to rain, the cloth packet containing the ornaments had become wet. It was kept on the roof of the malkhana to dry, where monkeys tore the packet, scattered the ornaments, and took them away.

In July 2024, the district judge rejected the police’s explanation, calling the claim of monkeys stealing gold unbelievable. The court ordered a proper investigation into the missing gold.

Interestingly, the police have now filed a closure report claiming that the then malkhana in-charge is dead and further investigation is not possible. However, there is a discrepancy in names. The court order mentions one set of names for the malkhana in-charge, while the police press statement mentions completely different names.

The victim’s lawyer has raised serious doubts over the police version. He says the police are trying to protect the real culprit who stole the valuables from the malkhana.

Senior lawyer and former Additional Solicitor General Siddharth Luthra has said that in such cases where police action is suspicious, an independent investigation, even by the CBI, may be necessary.

This bizarre case has raised serious questions about the functioning and accountability of the police malkhana system in Uttar Pradesh.