Mumbai: The serial thief who dared Mumbai cops to catch him, was finally arrested after a chase that went on for a month-and-a-half. The accused, Sonu Baria, is a resident of Lower Parel.
Sewri Police arrested Baria when he came to meet his girlfriend. Baria was a serial offender, with many theft cases registered against him in Mumbai, Thane and Vasai.
According to Sewri Police, on April 20, Baria and his friend Sunil Rajput had broken the window of the car parked by Sewri Godown and fled with a Think Pad and a laptop worth Rs1.5 lakh.
During the probe, Sewri Police identified Baria and tried to locate him through Rajput. When Baria learnt that his friend was being grilled, he called Rajput. The latter asked Baria to surrender but he refused and challenged police to catch him if they could.
According to police, Baria led them on a whirlwind chase through Bandra, Dharavi, Wadala and Mumbai Central. Whenever he changed his location, he made it a point to tip-off the police before switching off his phone.
“Baria had been arrested before, so he was aware of how police operate. When in jail, he would ask other criminals how they had been arrested. Apart from this, he would visit police stations just to know how they worked and how he could give them the slip,” said an officer
During the probe, police identified Baria’s girlfriend, who lives in Lower Parel. On May 5, a team went to her house to ask her about Baria, without revealing their identity. She denied any knowledge of his whereabouts. They left, but stationed a sleuth.
As soon as they left, she called him up. An anxious Baria came running, but was arrested on arrival. Police have arrested Baria’s accomplice Sunil Rajput and seized six laptops and a bike worth Rs8.72 lakh from the duo.
By Sachin Gaad
