Pune: Fake Cop Preying On Elderly In Hinjawadi & Dehu Nabbed By Pimpri-Chinchwad Police; Accused Held From Thane

Pimpri-Chinchwad: Pimpri-Chinchwad Police have held the accused who used to steal jewellery and valuables from people from Hinjawadi IT Park and the Dehu Road area, officials announced on Saturday. The accused was detained in Thane. He used to pose as a cop and earn the trust of the elderly and then steal from them.

The accused has been identified as Mohammad Qambar Ali Syed (40, Ambivli, Thane). The action was taken by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate’s (PCPC) Crime Branch Unit 2. Two cases for theft have been registered against him at Dehu Road and Hinjawadi Police Stations.

According to police reports, complaints of theft of gold and silver jewellery from elderly citizens were repeatedly being reported in Hinjawadi and the Dehu area. In some cases, it was an attempt, and in some cases, it was a successful theft operation. The suspects would pose as police officers and use sleight of hand (trickery) to steal their valuables.

Crime Branch Unit 2 started an investigation into these cases. A team comprising Senior Police Inspector Arvind Pawar, PSI Salunkhe, and Police Constables Vikram Kudal, Tushar Shete, Mohammad Gaus Nadaf, Ali Shaikh, Vikrant Chavan, Prashant Syed, Ravi Pawar, and Sukhdev Gawande initiated an investigation into a trickery case registered at Hinjawadi Police Station.

Sr PI Arvind Pawar said, “After reviewing approximately 100 to 120 CCTV footages, the team identified that the suspects were residents of Irani Basti in Ambivli, Thane. On Thursday, our team travelled to Irani Basti, Ambivli, and set a trap for two days. Based on a tip-off received by Police Havaldar Vikram Kudal, we successfully apprehended the following accused from Irani Basti today at 17:00 hours.”

Two cases registered within the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate against the accused, Mohammad Syed, have been solved. Sr PI Pawar said that following a medical examination, the accused has been handed over to Hinjewadi Police Station.