Thief steals and swallows gold to evade police in Panchthar

By Radha Luitel, Phidim, May 9: A robbery was recorded on Wednesday night in the house of Bishnu Maya Tamang from Phidim Municipality -2, Panchthar. Tamang asked for help after the robber was stealing cash and gold from the cupboard.

The neighbours reached the spot after hearing the pleas of Bishnu Maya and called the police after locking the robber inside. Police reached the spot within 20 minutes of the call and caught the robber. 

The robber was identified as 28-year-old Suren Yonya from Phidim Municipality-1, Panchthar. 

It was found that Rs 15,000 cash and one tola yellow metal were taken from the cupboard. 

Rs 15,000 was recovered from the robber but gold was nowhere to be found. 

Police Inspector at the Panchthar District Police Divas Kunwar queried Tamang about the placement of gold to Tamang and asked if she misplaced it somewhere else. 

Tamang insisted that the gold was kept at the almirah. After this, police searched the whole body of the thief, nose, mouth, and another probable spot in the body where gold could be hidden. But, gold was not found. Then, they had a suspicion that he might have swallowed it, and they took him to the hospital for an X-ray. They found that the gold was swallowed through an X-ray.  

According to Kunwar, the gold was stuck in the stomach of the thief, after which, he was kept under observation. He did not poop for two days and after 36 hours gold came out in stool. They measured the gold and it weighed 1 tola. 

He said that even after swallowing one tola of gold, Yonya’s health condition is normal. 

The police office registered a case in the district court amid an investigation. He was fined Rs 150,000 for bail but was unable to pay he was sent to Panchthar jail on May 8. 

It is mentioned in the statements made with police and in court that Yonya attempted robbery because of poverty.