Georgia man says insurance won't cover theft of $250,000 in jewelry from car at Monroeville hotel

A Georgia man whose $250,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from his rental car while he was staying at a Monroeville hotel said insurance is unlikely to cover his losses.

“This is devastating to my family,” said Raj Dhanak, 47, of the Atlanta suburb of Lilburn. “Almost everything we had was tied up in that jewelry.”

Dhanak earns his living by hosting private jewelry shows in various cities, mostly for members of the Indian-American community, he said.

Dhanak said he checked into the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel near the Monroeville Mall on Friday night after leaving Cincinnati, where he hosted a private jewelry show earlier in the day.

The theft occurred sometime between late Friday night and Saturday morning while the car was in the hotel lot.

Dhanak said he thought it would be safer to leave the six bags containing the jewelry in his car rather carrying it to and from the car and hotel.

“That was a terrible mistake,” he said. “My insurance company told me that it (the jewelry) was only covered if I kept it in my possession at all time.”

Thieves got the jewelry by breaking one of the car's windows to gain access to the trunk, according to police.

Investigators suspect that thief knows Dhanak's routine and followed him.

Because of the size of the heist, Allegheny County investigators will help with the investigation, said Monroeville police Chief Steven Pascarella.

Blood found inside the window of Dhanak's rental car has been sent to the county crime lab for analysis, the chief said. The county's mobile crime unit dusted the vehicle for fingerprints.

Pascarella said investigators are reviewing surveillance video and interviewing possible witnesses.

Tony LaRussa is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7987 or tlarussa@tribweb.com.