Mumbai: 19-year-old, minor accomplice make Instagram reels in stolen autorickshaws; nabbed

Mumbai: A 19-year-old garage mechanic was arrested, while his accomplice minor was detained for allegedly stealing four auto-rickshaws worth Rs 3,60,000, said the Chembur police.

The main accused was identified as Armaan Ansari who wanted to own a rickshaw but was financially incapable. Hence, he decided to steal autos, while the 14-year-old accompanied him for fun.

Notably, the duo was identified from their Instagram reels shot while driving the stolen vehicles.

"Like some kids who have a passion for bikes and cars, the accused loved autos. Ansari started stealing rickshaws from the roadside, took a round or two across the locality and then kept them in the garage. The minor accompanied him for fun,” said the police official.

The crime came to fore on August 31 when a rickshaw driver found his parked vehicle missing from the Collector Colony in Chembur, and approached the police.

During the investigation, the police realised that two more similar cases were registered at their police station, while the one was pending at the Pantnagar police station in Ghatkopar East.

"When we collected footage from the CCTVs in all these areas, the accused showed up in all the places while committing the crime,” said the official. The investigation took the cops to Instagram on which they discovered reels of the accused.

“During the investigation, we came across an Instagram reel starring two boys who matched with the ones captured on CCTVs. Based on which, their whereabouts were located from informants and arrests were made,” added the official.

“They are kids and didn't realise the gravity of the crime. After nabbing them, a total of four auto-rickshaws, three from Chembur and one from Ghatkopar, were seized from their possession,” said the official.

The minor was initially sent to a children's home but was later released with a warning. Ansari has been arrested for theft under section 379 of the Indian Penal Code.

Published on: Monday, September 19, 2022, 09:35 AM IST