Mumbai police arrested a gang of four persons including two women who would break into houses across Mumbai and steal valuables. VB Nagar police officials, who were investigating a house break-in case at HDIL building near Kohinoor Hospital in Kurla (West) on June 2, through CCTV footages identified the main accused to be one Mustaq Shaikh, 22.
Shaikh who had a history of theft cases had broken into the flat number 207 and 403 in the building and had stolen gold ornaments and cash worth Rs 4.74 lakh.
Accordingly, a case was registered at VB Nagar police station under section 380 (theft in dwelling house) and 454 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking in order to commit an offence punishable with imprisonment) of the Indian Penal Code.
A team of assistant police inspector Madhukar Dhutraj, sub-inspector P Patil started the investigation and after checking CCTV footages from nearby locations identified Shaikh.
“Shaikh had a history of theft cases against him, and through technical intelligence we found had gone back to his native at Choti Marai village in Vaishali district of Bihar,” said senior police inspector Rajesh Pawar from VB Nagar police station.
A team was dispatched to Bihar, and a local informant told the team that Shaikh was looking to buy a country-made pistol. “With the help of the local informant, Shaikh was contacted and under the pretext of selling a country-made pistol he was called. Shaikh walked into the trap and we arrested him,” added the officer.
Following Shaikh’s arrest, VB Nagar police officials arrested three of his accomplices identified as Faiyaz Khan 36, Fatima Gawli 32 and Tabassum Khan 27 from Ghatkopar.
"The arrested accused admitted to have committed thefts in Mankhurd jurisdiction. While, Mustaq has cases of house breaking in Nagpada and Dongri area," added the police officer from VB Nagar police station.
