Wadilal Patel (79) stands trial four years after the police recovered antiques belonging to socialite Sheetal Maftlal valued at around Rs 8 lakh

Wadilal Patel (79) stands trial four years after the police recovered antiques belonging to socialite Sheetal Maftlal valued at around Rs 8 lakh . The antiques were recovered from a kabadiwala in Kemps Corner.

Patel is a family retainer of Madhuri Mafatlal, the widow of industrialist Yogendra Mafatlal. Sheetal is her daughter-in-law, married to Atulya Mafatlal.u00a0

Sources close to Sheetal Maftlal told MiD DAY that on day one of the trial on March 9, Sheetal, the complainant and prosecution witness in the case was present in the court room no 37, Esplanade Court. Also present was Wadilal Patel, the accused. The matter has been adjourned for hearing after the court heard both the parties briefly and admitted the FIR in the case.

Said a senior police officer, probing the case, "We have around four to five independent witness and panchas in the case and have procured clinching evidences including recovery of the stolen property in the case before the court to nail the accused."

The officer hinted that the kabadiwala to whom the antique was sold is one of their witnesses in the case.u00a0 Wadilal is presently out on bail, and has pleaded his innocence.

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Wedding gifts wentu00a0missing

Sheetal Mafatlal lodged a complaint with Gamdevi police on October 4, 2005, after she realised that the fountain and the metal Chinese flowerpots estimated to be around Rs 8 lakh were missing from the storeroom.u00a0 Sheetal said these items were presented to her on her wedding to Atulya Mafatlal on December 21, 2000.

The case was then transferred to the property cell of the crime branch and they detected the missing fountain and nailed down Patel, within a short span.

Patel initially denied any knowledge about the antiques, but finally broke down when police produced the scrap dealer, M/s Jagruti Paper Mart, at Kemps Corner, to whom he sold the fountain for just Rs 1,500.u00a0 The accused in his statement revealed that the Chinese flowerpot was broken, but the police could not get any broken piece during the probe, other than the fountain was found intact, with the scrap dealer.

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Only following instructions

The Property Cell of Crime Branch arrested Wadilal Patel in December 2005. At the time of questioning, Patel informed the police that he followed the instructions of Madhuri Maftlal and sold the antique from the storeroom to the scrap dealer. He had even given her Rs 1,500, the sale price of the antique. However police did not buy this explanation given by the accused. Patel was released on a bail surety of Rs 10,000 later.

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