A woman has been arrested in Parsa district with stolen jewellery valued at Rs 411,000, police said. The seized ornaments include a one-tola gold necklace and five sets of two-tola silver anklets, which officers say were taken from a jewellery shop in Birgunj. Deputy Superintendent of Police Chakrabahadur Malla of the District Police Office, Parsa, confirmed that the jewellery was recovered from the woman after it was stolen from Harsh Jewellers, a shop located near the Gahawamai Temple in Birgunj Metropolitan City-6. The arrest was reported on the occasion of Dashain, Nepal's biggest festival.
Ornaments Recovered from the Suspect
According to police, the woman was taken into custody and the stolen ornaments were recovered from her possession. DSP Malla said the recovered items consist of one gold necklace weighing one tola and five sets of silver anklets, each set weighing two tola. The combined value of the recovered jewellery has been estimated at Rs 411,000.
The items listed by police are:
- One one-tola gold necklace
- Five sets of two-tola silver anklets
The tola is a traditional unit of weight that remains widely used across Nepal and the wider region for buying and selling gold and silver. One tola is equivalent to approximately 11.66 grams. On that basis, the recovered necklace weighs just under 12 grams of gold, while each set of anklets weighs roughly 23 grams of silver, putting the total weight of the silver ornaments at around 117 grams.
The recovery of both gold and silver pieces in a single case underscores the scale of the loss for the shop concerned, with the total value running well above the typical price of an individual ornament purchase. Police have confirmed that all of the recovered items are linked to the theft reported at the Birgunj store.
Theft Reported at a Birgunj Jewellery Shop
The jewellery was stolen from Harsh Jewellers, which operates near the Gahawamai Temple in Birgunj Metropolitan City-6. Birgunj is the largest city of Parsa district and one of Nepal's most important commercial hubs, lying on the border with India and serving as a major gateway for the country's trade. The city's markets include a large number of jewellery retailers, which do brisk business throughout the year and see especially heavy footfall during festive seasons.
The shop's location near the Gahawamai Temple places it in one of the busy market pockets of the metropolitan city, where gold and silver ornaments are sold to customers from Birgunj and the surrounding areas of Parsa district. The initial reports on the case focused on the recovery of the ornaments and the arrest of the woman, and did not describe when the theft occurred or how it was carried out.
The District Police Office, Parsa, which is based in Birgunj, is the lead police authority for the district and has been confirming details of the case through its spokesperson. DSP Malla's statement to the media is the primary official account of the arrest and recovery so far.
Arrest Announced During Dashain
The arrest was reported on the occasion of Dashain, the largest festival in the Nepali calendar. Celebrated over several days in honor of the goddess Durga, Dashain brings families together, swells markets with shoppers, and sees a rise in the purchase of gold and silver, as buying precious metals is considered auspicious during the festival period. Jewellery shops across the country, including those in Birgunj's markets, typically record some of their strongest sales of the year around this time.
The recovery of the stolen jewellery and the arrest of the woman were confirmed by DSP Malla, who serves at the District Police Office, Parsa. The Deputy Superintendent of Police rank sits in the middle of the Nepal Police officer hierarchy, above Inspector and below Superintendent of Police, and officers of this rank at district offices frequently lead investigations and brief the public on behalf of their units.
News of the arrest was carried by NepalPress, Nagarik News and Rato Pati, all of which cited the District Police Office and DSP Malla's statement on the recovery.
Details Still Awaited
The reports published so far do not identify the woman, give her age or address, or describe the circumstances under which she came to possess the stolen jewellery. It is also not yet clear whether the theft at Harsh Jewellers involved more than one person, or whether any additional ornaments or suspects are being sought by investigators.
What has been established is that a woman is in police custody in Parsa, that the stolen gold necklace and silver anklets have been recovered, and that the value of the recovered jewellery has been put at Rs 411,000. Further details of the case, including any action taken against the suspect, are expected to become clear as the legal process moves forward.
Original reports on the arrest:
