A 65-year-old businessman, Pradeep Sanat Shah, is overjoyed after getting back his late father’s heritage Rolex watch, which had been stolen from his Colaba home in June this year. The luxury timepiece — originally gifted by his father to his daughter-in-law Rupali Shah shortly before his death in 2023 — was recovered by the Colaba police and recently handed back to the family with help from advocate Sunil Pandey.
Shah, who runs a printing machine manufacturing business, said his 91-year-old father, Sanat Shah, had purchased the Rolex in 1995 for Rs 15 lakh. “My father wore this watch every day to his office. Before he passed away, he gifted it to my wife, Rupali. She kept it safely in the locker as a memory of him,” Shah told mid-day.
An old photograph of the late Sanat Shah wearing the Rolex watch, which was later stolen and recovered
In June 2025, while the family was vacationing in London, the watch disappeared. “When we returned, we found the watch missing from the locker. We immediately informed Colaba police and registered an FIR,” he said. Investigations revealed that Ritika Krishnakant Jogal, 26, the family’s house manager who had been employed for over a year and a half, had stolen the Rolex and hidden it at a roadside scrap dealer’s shop.
“We trusted her completely and treated her like our daughter. We had even planned to take responsibility for her marriage expenses. But she betrayed our trust,” Pradeep said emotionally. Advocate Pandey said, “I am grateful to the Shah family for trusting me to help recover their stolen property. This Rolex wasn’t just expensive; it carried deep sentimental value. The court had asked for several documents before releasing them, so we submitted photographs showing Sanat Shah wearing the watch. After verification, the court returned the property.”
Colaba police handing over the recovered Rolex watch to the Shah family. Pics/By Special Arrangement
The Colaba police had solved the theft six months ago, but the Rolex remained in court custody until Tuesday, when it was officially handed back to the family. Along with the watch, the police also recovered a pair of diamond earrings stolen by the accused. The total cost of the recovered watch and earrings is Rs 35 lakh.
During the probe, police examined CCTV footage from the Shah residence and found that Ritika had brought an unknown man into the house and called a keymaker to access the cupboard. Based on this evidence, police arrested Ritika Jogal and her accomplice Kailas Dhiraj Waghela, who had helped her sell the watch to the scrap dealer. Both were later released on bail.
