Mumbai: There was a mystery bag found outside the residence of the Bharatiya Janata Party MLC, Prasad Lad, in Matunga, on Sunday morning. The mystery further deepened when the police opened it, to find money and other valuables within. Later on, it was found to be stolen loot from a nearby building. Police said that the resident of a neighbouring building had approached them, stating that his house had been broken into on Saturday night. It is now believed that burglars were decamping with the valuables but had abandoned the bag for some reason.
According to the Matunga police, the bag was seen outside the gate of Lad’s residence by a security guard on patrol duty. He immediately raised an alarm and the Matunga police were informed. The matter was viewed with concern, as Lad had last month registered a complaint with the police, saying that he had been receiving threatening calls for two days.
Police rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area, after which the bag was examined and then opened. Inside the bag were several plastic bags full of low-denomination currency notes and coins, as well as an idol of Lord Ganesh and two boxes full of religious trinkets.
“Our teams fanned out in the area and started making inquiries among local residents for any possible clues about the bag. At the same time, a resident of a neighbouring building approached us, saying that his house had been broken into on Saturday night,” said an officer with the Matunga police station.
The local resident was taken to Lad’s residence and shown the bag and its contents, and he immediately identified it as belonging to him. To verify his claims, the police went back with him to his residence.
“We confirmed that unknown persons had broken into his house through the bathroom window, and taken everything from one corner in the house, where he kept his idols and other religious parapharnelia,” said Senior Police Inspector Deepak Chavan, Matunga police station.
Prima facie, police believe that the burglars were decamping with the valuables but had abandoned the bag for some reason.
“This could either be because they saw someone approach and didn’t want to risk being caught, or because they examined the stolen booty properly after escaping the house and decided that it was not valuable enough. The fact that they abandoned the bag right outside the MLC’s house seems to be a coincidence. We have registered a case of house break-in and theft against unknown persons under the Indian Penal Code,” Chavan said.
Police are now scanning closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage at and around Lad’s house and also making inquiries with repeat offenders.
