The crime branch officials arrested a 30-year-old man for stealing valuables and documents valued at ₹1.25 lakh from the waiting room of a private hospital. The accused was arrested from Andheri area and booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for theft.
According to police, the complainant was spending the night of October 4, in the waiting room of a Malad-based hospital as his ailing father was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of the medical facility. After the complainant fell asleep, an unidentified accused took advantage of the situation and decamped with ₹80,000 cash, a mobile phone and important documents. Come morning, when the victim realised, he immediately approached police and lodged a complaint.
Dindoshi Police registered a case and began investigations, while a parallel probe was launched by the crime branch sleuths as well. Police scrutinized the CCTV camera footage of the hospital's waiting room and noticed a man moving suspiciously. Further, probe revealed that the man had left the premises in an autorickshaw and a CCTV trail placed him near Pump House in Andheri (E).
Police had acquired a partial number plate and ripped in the Regional Transport Office (RTO) to seek help. Based on technical evidence police learnt the whereabouts of the accused and a trap was laid accordingly. The accused, identified as Asif Idris Pathan, 30, a Jogeshwari resident, was arrested by crime branch unit 12 police on Saturday.
During interrogation, police learnt that Pathan had stolen the three wheeler from Goregaon area and was a history sheeter with previous cases of auto rickshaw theft were lodged against him at Goregaon and Dindoshi police stations. The accused had 27 cases registered against him across the city ranging from small thefts to house break-ins. Police also recovered five mobile phones from Pathan. He was produced in a local magistrate court and remanded in police custody.
