The RAK Marg police on Thursday arrested a 39-year-old man who has been on the run for the past 15 years after stealing Rs40,000 from his then employer โ a textile shop owner in the Hindmata area of Dadar.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ณ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ณ
A team of six police officers, led by assistant police inspector Mahesh Lamkhede, took up the case that was registered in 2007 when Amit Gangar reported to the police about one of his employees stealing Rs40,000. A case was registered against him under section 408 (criminal breach of trust by clerk or servant) of the Indian Penal Code.
According to the complaint, the suspect Pravin Jadeja, 24 (at the time), was sent to Wadala to collect money from some dealers by Gangar. โHowever, Jadeja returned empty-handed and told Gangar that somebody stole the money when he was in a public washroom. Gangar lodged a case against Jadeja and he was immediately arrested. He was sent to judicial custody but managed to secure bail, after which he disappeared,โ explained Lamkhede.
๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฝ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐๐บ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐
Jadeja was repeatedly summoned by the court, but he never showed up. He went missing and apparently he also changed his location and identity. The court then termed Jadeja as wanted / absconding.
Lamkhede's team studied the case background and directed all informants in the state and neighbouring states to fish out any details about Jadeja. All the police had at this point was his name, his old residential address in Parel and some basic details that were acquired from Gangar, including the fact that he had gold caps on his front teeth. Subsequently, the police team also started scanning the government's database, voter ID list etc and zeroed in on persons named Pravin Jadeja in the 38-39 year age bracket.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐๐ฐ๐ต'๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ถ: ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ
โUsing our intel and research, we found some leads that pointed to Kutch district in Gujarat. Kutch is so huge so we depended on intel, by spreading info about him. Finally, we received information that he was in Mandvi (a beach town in Kutch),โ Lamkhede said.
The police compiled a list of 10-12 people in Mandvi who had the same name and fell in the age group. However, Jadeja was still not found as he had changed his name to Pravinsingh aka Pradeep Singh Jadeja. Once a textile salesman, he now worked as a vegetable vendor.
โWe went there and got additional info that a man in the same age group, with the same name and gold teeth, is living in Mandvi,โ Lamkhede added.
๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐
The police then confirmed his identity secretly, while also acquiring his contact details and location. The team made a plan to trap him with money as they didn't want him to get suspicious and flee again.
The police disguised themselves as LIC operators, called and informed him about one of his LIC policies of Rs25,000 maturing, and told him he would have to collect the amount physically from the Mumbai branch. As expected, Jadeja showed up and was arrested. He was presented in court on Friday.
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