Mumbai: In a prize catch, the crime branch unit (Zone III) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police apprehended two hardcore criminals said to be involved in a large number of offences in various states across the country.
The accused duo who have been identified as-Ashish Kumar Bhadoriya alias Holu (38) and Amit Kumar (36)-both residents of Adarsh Nagar in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh (UP) were arrested from Mira Road on Friday night.
According to the police the bike-borne duo had snatched a gold chain worth Rs. 1 lakh from a 42-year-old woman in Nallasopara on 3, June, following which the crime branch unit was roped in to conduct parallel investigations into the case.
A team led by police inspector- Pramod Badhaakh scanned closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at the crime spot and got hold of the bike’s registration number. However, the lead hit a dead end when the team learnt that the bike was still registered in the name of the old owner who had recently sold it to the duo who gave forged KYC documents while making the payment in-cash. The team activated their core informer network and based on a tip-off managed to nab the duo from Mira Road and Mumbai.
Investigations revealed that the duo were hardcore criminals having dozens of serious of offences including- chain snatching, bag lifting, illegal possession of arms, drugs smuggling, attempt-to-murder and even rape registered against them at various police stations in states including- Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Punjab.
Throwing light on the modus operandi of the accused, Badhaak said, “The duo frequently travelled from Moradabad to Mumbai and other places by train. After buying a second-hand bike they would commit chain snatching or bag lifting crimes and abandon the vehicle at some faraway place before returning to Mira Road where they spent some days and splurged money with their kin-mostly working in ladies bars. Since they did not use mobile phones it was a tough task to nab them.” The police also recovered the bike and helmets used in the crime.
Notably, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the superintendent of police (SP) Ambala on 16, April, 2024 to file his affidavit regarding the whereabouts of one of the accused -Ashish Bhadoriya for his involvement in an offence under section 379B (snatching with hurt, wrongful restraint or fear of hurt) of the IPC (Haryana Amendment) Act, 2014.
The SP filed the status cum compliance report on 24, April, 2024, following which the matter was posted to be heard on 22, July, 2024. The offence was registered at the Mullana police station in Ambala district against Bhadoriya and his accomplice for snatching a bag containing Rs. 3.20 lakh from a farmer who was returning home on his bicycle after withdrawing the cash from a bank on 29, December, 2015.
