Mumbai: The central crime branch unit of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police nabbed a criminal who was on the run for the last six years after being booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), 1999.
The accused who has been identified as Rakesh Singh Rajawat alias Kushwaha (48) was arrested from Pandri village in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh by a team led by assistant police inspector Dattaray Sarak on Friday.
Kushwaha and his accomplices had waylaid a trailer truck near the Khaniwade Toll Plaza on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway on 3, September, 2018. The gang mounted an assault on the driver and cleaner of the truck and decamped with the vehicle laden with 29 tonnes of copper wire worth more than Rs 1.63 crore. While some of his accomplices were arrested, Kushwaha had managed to evade the police dragnet for more than five years. Officials from the central crime branch were asked to investigate the case and nab the fugitive.
Based on electronic surveillance and informer input, the police arrested Kushwaha from his village on Friday. “Apart from his involvement in cases of dacoities and other criminal activities, Kushwaha was also booked under relevant sections of the IPC and the stringent MCOCA in 2019.” said police inspector- Rahul Raakh. Further investigations were underway.
