More than 17 years after he participated in a heist at a gold ornament showroom in Mira Road, Deepak Singh Tona Singh Taak alias Bhushi Singh (36) landed into the custody of the crime branch (Unit I) of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police commissionerate on Thursday.
According to the police, Bhushi Singh was part of a 15-member gang which had broken into Bharti Jewellers, a gold ornaments showroom in the Shanti Nagar area of Mira Road on February 5, 2004. Armed with knives and revolvers, the gang had threatened two private security guards before decamping with cash and ornaments worth more than Rs. 29.63 lakh.
While ten members of the gang were arrested, Bhushi Singh was amongst five who had managed to evade the police dragnet for all these years. On the instructions of MBVV commissioner Sadanand Date, the crime branch units have intensified their operations to nab wanted criminals.
Acting on a tip-off, a team led by Police Inspector Aviraj Khurade under the supervision of DCP ( Crime) Dr. Mahesh Patil laid a trap and arrested the fugitive from a tenement in Bhiwandi on Thursday.
Investigations revealed that Bhushi Singh was involved in a spate of serious offences including murder, house-breaking, theft and armed robbery.
Members of the gang which has earned notoriety for armed robberies, especially in gold ornaments showrooms have been charged under the stringent sections of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), 1999.
With Bhushi Singh’s arrest, the MBVV police are confident of getting breakthroughs in several unsolved cases in and around the region. Further investigations were underway.
