The crime branch unit (zone III) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police have arrested a notorious thief who stole batteries from heavy motor vehicles (HMV) which were parked at hotels, petrol pumps and other unguarded places on the highway during the night. The accused who has been identified as-Karan Vishnu Girhane (31) had recently stolen batteries worth Rs.38,000 from two trucks that were parked behind a petrol pump in the Shirsad area on the highway.
Alarmed by the sudden spurt in cases of battery thefts on the stretch of the Mumbai- Ahmedabad national highway between Khaniwade and Vasai Phata, the crime branch unit was roped in to conduct parallel investigations and nab the culprits. Upon checking the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, personnel attached to the unit led by police inspector-Shahuraj Ranaware spotted a suspiciously moving white coloured Maruti Swift Dzire car at the crime scenes.
On the virtue of the CCTV footage the police zeroed in on the car and nabbed the accused who is a resident of Vikramgadh in Palghar. Karan apparently moved in the car and targeted unguarded HMV’s including trucks and tankers on the highway. Investigations revealed his involvement in 13 theft cases which he had committed in areas falling under the jurisdictions of police stations including-Mandwi, Pelhar, Pelhar, Virar, Manor and Wada.
Apart from recovering 46 stolen batteries, the police impounded the car which the accused used to commit the crimes. Karan has been booked under section 303 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita for theft. Further investigations were underway.
