Navi Mumbai Crime: 35-Year-Old Habitual Fraudster Arrested For ₹5.5 Lakh Camera Rental Scam; Panvel Police Recover Stolen Equipment

Navi Mumbai Crime: 35-Year-Old Habitual Fraudster Arrested For ₹5.5 Lakh Camera Rental Scam; Panvel Police Recover Stolen Equipment

Panvel City Police arrested a habitual fraudster accused of duping a photographer of ₹5.5 lakh by renting and selling camera equipment. The accused was tracked to Daman after using multiple SIM cards to evade arrest.

Raina AssainarUpdated: Tuesday, March 03, 2026, 06:17 PM IST
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Panvel City Police arrest an alleged fraudster and recover ₹5.5 lakh worth of stolen camera equipment in Navi Mumbai | File Photo

Navi Mumbai, March 3: The Panvel City Police have arrested a habitual fraudster who allegedly changed his residence across three states and used multiple SIM cards to evade arrest, recovering camera equipment worth Rs 5.5 lakh.

The accused, identified as Sanjay Pandurang Kadam alias KK (35), had allegedly rented high-end photography equipment and fled without returning it.

Complaint and investigation

The case was registered at Panvel City Police Station after a complaint by Ramchandra Malusare, a photographer from Karanjade, who alleged that Kadam took a camera and related equipment worth Rs 5.50 lakh on rent in December and absconded.

During the probe, police found that the accused had switched off his previous mobile numbers and frequently changed addresses across Maharashtra, Gujarat and another state to avoid detection.

Acting on technical surveillance inputs that he was hiding in Daman, a police team led by Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Powar, along with constables Vidyadhar Gaikwad and Kashinath Lokhande, apprehended him with the help of local police.

Equipment recovered

During interrogation, Kadam allegedly confessed to selling the stolen equipment to a shop near the CST area in Mumbai. Police subsequently recovered the entire consignment from the concerned shop. Investigators further revealed that the accused had used nine SIM cards while on the run to conceal his identity.

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Senior Police Inspector Nitin Thakare said, “The accused was constantly changing his location and mobile numbers to mislead us. However, through technical analysis and coordinated efforts, our team tracked him down and recovered the stolen property. We are verifying if he has cheated others using a similar modus operandi.”

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