Sleuths of the Mira Road police have apprehended five members of a gang who were apparently planning an armed dacoity in the region late on Thursday night. One of their accomplices who had managed to evade the police dragnet is still at large.
According to the police, a night patrolling team led by Police Sub Inspector Tejashri Shinde spotted six suspicious-looking men who had gathered near Hotel Park View in the posh Kanakia area of Mira Road. As the police jeep moved towards their direction, they started fleeing. While two managed to evade the dragnet taking advantage of the darkness, police nabbed the quartet.
During the search operation, the police team found a firearm (pistol), nine cartridges, knife, bamboo sticks and packets of chili powder in their possession. The arrested accused have been identified as Ujwal Omprakash Kumar, Sajid Syed Ahmed Shaikh, Irfan Salim Khan and Sohail Ibrahim Khan. A Maruti Swift car was also seized by the police team. While the fifth accused identified as Salman Nasir Khan has also been nabbed, a hunt on was on to track their absconding accomplice, even as investigations were on to find out who was their target.
“While two of them have a criminal background, credentials of others are being checked,” said Senior Police Inspector Sandip Kadam.
Meanwhile, the arrested accused have been booked under sections 399 (making preparation to commit dacoity), 402 (assembling for purpose of committing dacoity) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Arms Act-1951. All the accused were remanded to jail custody.
