Jewel thieves in plea bargain
In the first ever case of “plea bargaining” in Mum-bai, four foreign nationals who were arrested for the `6.6-crore diamond heist at the India International Jewellery Show (IIJS) last year, agreed to pay `60 lakh to the complainant on Thursday.
However, in an interesting twist to the case, sources have claimed that the money for the plea bargain may have been coughed up by an Italian crime family for which the accused allegedly work. If true, this is first time that the “Italian Mafia” has played a significant role in the expeditious disposal of a criminal case in an Indian court.
The source claimed the “Italian Mafia” had a major role in the plea bargain because the accused owe allegiance to it. the prosecution, too, hasn’t been able to ascertain the nationality of the four accused. Three of the accused were suspected to be Mexicans, while the fourth was suspected to be a Venezuelan. However, neither the Mexi-can nor the Venezuelan embassy has confirmed this. The accused, who were lodged in jail, did not get any official assistance from any foreign country. However, after their plea bargain was accepted by the court, `55 lakh was paid in Hong Kong as the complainant wanted to avoid being taxed in India.
Post new comment