More than 28 years earlier, when he was aged 31, Ramesh Ishwarlal Solanki had earned notoriety by leading a pickpocket gang which used to steal valuables from passengers of crowded buses in Kashimira. Several offences were registered at the Kashimira police station against the gang in 1996.
While two members identified as-Mohammed Khaleel Shaikh and Ejaz Gulam Shaikh were arrested by the erstwhile Thane (rural) police, Solanki had managed to remain elusive for more than 28 years. While digging into old cases in which the accused were absconding, the central crime detection unit attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police got a vital clue regarding Solanki’s whereabouts in the Malwani area of Malad.
A team led by police sub inspector- Hitendra Vichare under the supervision of police inspector- Rahul Raakh immediately swung into action and activated their core informer network. Acting on a tip-off, the team apprehended Solanki (now aged 59) from the Penkarpada area of Kashimira on Monday evening.
“With sketchy clues about the appearance of the fugitive in the nearly three-decade old cases, our teams had kept a close eye on Solanki’s movements for several days before apprehending him from the Penkarpada area of Kashimira.” said a senior police officer.
Investigations revealed that Solanki had continued with his criminal activities by committing thefts under the jurisdictions of police stations including- Navghar, Malad, Andheri, Kandivali, CST (railway), Surat (railway) and Valsad (railway) between 2017 and 2022.
Meanwhile, offences under section 379 (theft) of the IPC have been registered against Solanki whose custody has been handed over to the Kashimira police station for further investigations. While a hunt was on to nab his new accomplices, more such offences committed by Solanki and his gang are likely to come to the fore.
