Once bitten, twice secure

After diamond ornaments worth Rs 6.6 crore were stolen last year, organisers of the International Jewellery Show have beefed up security to avoid a repeat of the debacle

LAst year, foreign nationals stole diamond jewellery worth Rs 6.6 crore from the trade fair and International Jewellery Show (IJS), which is held annually at Goregaon's NESCO grounds.u00a0This year, organisers have gone on a security overdrive to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself.


Police at the trade fair frisk all visitors to ensure
safety and avoid any thefts on the premises

Organisers of the eagerly awaited exhibition, which opened its doors to the public on Thursday, have taken manifold measures to beef up security, so that the 800 companies from across the globe,u00a0 exhibiting their valuables here are safe from the covetous hands of thieves.

Till the fair closes on Monday, CCTV cameras will be surveying every movement, especially that of visitors thronging the 1,700 stalls that have been set up across two halls at the venue. "We increased the number of CCTV cameras in and around the exhibition.
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Earlier we used to place cameras at considerable distances from each other. But after last year's debacle, we have installed cameras on every stall, covering not just the stall but also its periphery," said an organiser.

Organisers have also decided to bar entry to any individual who is not armed with a pass. Even police officers manning the grounds will be issued entry passes.

"The customers visiting the fair will have to go through four layers of security checks before entering and exiting the fair," said Sanjay Kothari, convener and organiser of the fair.

He added, "We have also imported machines that will scan visitors. Besides roping in police teams, we have employed private security guards and commandos. The CCTV cameras will be monitored constantly to keep a check on the movements of the visitors. "

The stall owners have also decided to station security guards around their stalls. "We have employed private security guards.

We are hoping that there wont be another theft this year, as the security guards manning the exit have been instructed to hold back visitors even if they are found carrying a piece of paper," said Prakash, a diamond stall owner.

Officers from the city's crime branch revealed that three local police teams, from units 11 and 12, would guard the exhibition ground.

u00a0"We have alerted our officers to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity," said an officer. He added, "Some of the cops deployed at the spot will be making rounds in plain clothes, so they can nab thieves redhanded. We will be briefed by the CCTV monitoring room every 10 minutes."

u00a0Suresh Shinde, senior police inspector of the Vanrai police station, confirmed that city cops had deployed maximum security and manpower at the ground.

The Theft
On August 23 last year, four foreign nationals Venezuelans Gutierez Orlando (30) and Gonzalez Maldonado Mauricio (24), Mexicans Campos Molan Elias (39) and Guerrero Lugo Elvia Grissel (24) robbed diamonds worth Rs 6.6 crore from a stall set up by a Hong Kong-based jewellery company. Crime Branch officers later nabbed the four from Dubai.