Less than a week after they robbed a 27-year-old trader dealing in Covid-19 gear and protection material, all nine members of the gang landed into the custody of the Crime Branch unit of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) for their involvement in the crime.
According to the police, the 27-year-old trader who lives in Andheri was lured to a hotel in Naigaon near Vasai by one of the accused under the pretext of offering Covid-19 protection material at cheaper than market prices.
When the trader arrived at the place he was assaulted and robbed of Rs. 25 lakh cash which he was carrying to buy the material. Two out of the nine accused impersonated as police personnel to threaten the trader. Immediately after receiving the complaint the police team under the guidance of DCP (Crime) Dr. Mahesh Patil apart and activating their core informer network and electronic surveillance system also intensified vigilance in the area.
Based on a tip-off, the police apprehended all the accused from their hideout in Thane. The accused have been identified as Parth Jyotindra Jaani (26), Rabbani Mehboob Parel (28), Abdul Hamid Sayyed (35), Girish Srichand Valecha alias Manoharlal Patel (27), Imran Ahmed Shaikh (38), Smitesh Subhash Gavas (37), Suresh Gunaji Dalvi (33), Santosh Govind More (46) and Vinay Santosh Singh (41).
While a case under section 395 of the IPC has been registered against the accused, the police are scanning their antecedents to ascertain their involvement in other crimes in and around the region. Sleuths of the Valiv police station are conducting further investigations into the case.
