Man Claims $250K In Jewelry Stolen In Monroeville
MONROEVILLE (KDKA) - There is a section of the parking lot of the DoubleTree hotel in Monroeville that is blocked off from the rest of the lot.
It's where Raj Dhanak, a jeweler from the Atlanta, area had checked in for a jewelry show in Monroeville over the weekend, only to find his rented Nissan broken into overnight.
Glass from the driver's side window was shattered on the front seat.
"The victim came out and found his car window was broken," said Monroeville Police Sgt. Rob McConnell. "The trunk was accessed. From inside the trunk, he had from his estimation $250,000 worth of jewelry was taken."
Dhanak said they are jewelry pieces from India to be sold at a local Indian business. But, that never happened.
Why was the merchandise left in the car, on not taken inside the hotel overnight?
"We asked the victim why he left that amount of merchandise inside the vehicle," said McConnell. "His reply was that he thought it was safer to leave it in the car than to come across the parking lot to come into the hotel carrying it."
KDKA-TV's Harold Hayes: "And he thought he would bring more attention to it by carrying it?"
McConnell: "Evidently, yes."
Police do have something to work with - blood found inside and outside of the car, likely left when the window was smashed.
The county crime lab is processing it, in search of DNA.
