Mumbai News: 20-Year-Old Man Snatches Russian National's Phone In Saki Naka; Held

Mumbai: A foreign national's mobile phone worth Rs70,000 was snatched at Sakinaka on Tuesday night as she was trying to book an Uber for the airport. The thief, 20-year-old Ajay Sabale, was arrested within hours.

According to the police, Nina Dimitre Gemneco, 37, a Russian, took out her phone at 90 Feet Road to book a cab. Sabale suddenly flicked the device and fled. Gemneco immediately approached the police station and filed a case.

Police Scanned CCTV Cameras In The Area To Nab Accused

The Sakinaka police launched an investigation and examined footage from 47 CCTV cameras. As the theft occurred at night, it was difficult to identify the facial features of the accused. The police sought information for informers on eight persons already accused in similar cases, resulting in the identification of Sabale.

As per the probe, Sabale is a drug addict and doesn't have a fixed address. The police looked for him at auto rickshaw stands, railway and metro stations in Sakinaka, Kurla and Ghatkopar. A trap was laid four times before Sabale was arrested. The snatched phone was recovered from him.

Rickshaw Driver Held In Gold Theft Case

In another incident reported last week, the Kurar police on Dec 7 apprehended an individual, Shivprasad Yadav (41), an auto-rickshaw driver, for allegedly stealing a bag containing 12 tolas of gold worth Rs. 6 lakhs. The bag belonged to a passenger who had travelled in his auto. The police seized all gold ornaments and his auto.

Details of theft

According to the police, on November 11, at 6 p.m., Sonal Bhosale (40), hired an auto-rickshaw from Sanjay Gandhi National Park to Laxmi Nagar, Malad East. It was raining, and she had two small children with her. Upon reaching Laxmi Nagar, unable to manage the two children in the rain, she got out of the auto. The auto driver promptly drove away, and she realized her bag, containing 12 tolas of gold worth Rs. 6 lakhs, was left behind. She did not see the auto's number.

Despite waiting for two days, hoping the auto driver would return her bag, he did not. Eventually, she filed a case at Kurar police station under section 379 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code.