Fitness instructor steals jewellery worth ₹4.49L from client’s home

According to the police, the fitness instructor, who went by the name of Pranav, befriended Manisha Haldankar, a resident of Jai Hind Colony in Dombivli West, via Instagram after she showed interest in joining a fitness programme. Pranav was constantly in touch with Haldankar over the past few days, trying to convince her to take his programme.

After Haldankar eventually agreed to sign up, Pranav refused to conduct the programme online and insisted on meeting her in person “so that he would teach her proper exercises, which would help her improve her fitness in a shorter period,” said a police officer at the Vishnu Nagar police station.

Haldankar eventually agreed to call him home for a session on May 20 in the evening. According to the police, Pranav was unpacking his bag and talking to Haldankar when she lost consciousness. The last thing she remembers was smelling something odd while Pranav was unpacking his bag. When she woke up the next morning, she noticed that Pranav was gone and her jewellery was missing. She then approached the Vishnu Nagar police station and lodged a complaint.

Pranav’s Instagram profile has since been deleted. The police are examining CCTV footage to try and identify the culprit.