Mira Bhayandar: After mass theft at Dhirendra Shastri's discourse venue, 828gm stolen gold returned to owners

Mira Bhayandar: As many as 63 devotees-mostly women from various parts of the state will be pleased beyond words as they get back their stolen gold ornaments, which they had lost all hope of finding again.

Officials from the crime branch unit (Zone I) returned stolen ornaments to 13 rightful owners in the presence of MBVV Chief- Madhukar Pandey at the Shehnai Hall in Mira Road on Friday. Others will receive their valuables from the police station. Ornaments weighing 828 grams worth more than Rs.50 lakh will be returned in total.

Mass chain snatching reported from the venue

Mass chain snatching cases were reported from the venue where controversial godman Dhirendra Shastri had delivered religious discourses for two consecutive days on 18 and 19 March. The event not only drew thousands of followers but also attracted the attention of a Rajasthan-based professional chain snatcher gang for whom the overcrowded venue turned out to be a virtual honeypot.

The Mira Road police received complaints from 72 devotees who collectively lost ornaments weighing 990 grams. Initially, six women members of the gang had been arrested from the spot. A police team led by API- Kailas Tokle under the supervision of PI Aviraj Kurhade arrested the kingpin-Arjun Virendra Singh (35) and his accomplice-Ranjit Kumar Lodhi (30). Based on the information provided by the duo, the police recovered stolen gold , from their house in Rundh Ikran near Chiksana in Bharatpur tehsil of Rajasthan.  A mechanism was put in place by the police personnel to help complainants in getting their property released as per due process of law without any inconvenience. The recipients thanked and appreciated the dedicated efforts of the police officers.  

Thieves Dressed Like Devotees!

Investigations revealed that the Rajasthan-based interstate gang is notorious for targeting people in crowded areas such as political gatherings, fairs and religious events. To avoid suspicion the members smartly dressed themselves and mingle in the crowd while raising slogans along with devotees. They would wait for the right opportunity to flick the chains and pass them on to their accomplices. The gang is involved in a spate of such cases across the country.