Bhadohi: A 25-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly stealing gold jewellery worth over Rs 10 lakh from his 80-year-old grandmother to fund his drug addiction and a lavish lifestyle, officials said on Wednesday, January 14.

The accused, Nihal Ali, was arrested from the Durgaganj area while he was allegedly on his way to sell gold ornaments worth around Rs 2 lakh, including earrings, a locket and mangalsutra beads, Superintendent of Police Abhimanyu Manglik said.

The theft came to light after family members grew suspicious on seeing Nihal roaming around in a newly purchased car despite having no known source of income. When they checked a jewellery box belonging to the elderly woman, Sadrun Nisa, several valuable ornaments were found missing, police said.

Based on a complaint by his uncle Faheem Ansari, a case was registered against Nihal on December 24, 2025, under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the SP said.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed that he had been stealing jewellery from the box over the past four to five months while pretending to care for his ailing grandmother at night. He sold the ornaments to finance his substance abuse and had bought a car worth Rs 4 lakh about a month ago, police said.

Police recovered gold jewellery and the car from his possession. Investigations revealed that jewellery worth over Rs 10 lakh had been sold, while ornaments valued at around Rs 5 lakh were pledged with jewellers.

The SP said Nihal had earlier been arrested in a jewellery theft case in Varanasi. Further investigation is underway, and action will also be taken against those who purchased the stolen ornaments, he added.