Thane, Feb 13: In a significant crackdown on street crime, the Thane City Crime Branch Unit-2 (Bhiwandi) has dismantled two separate criminal syndicates involved in a series of chain-snatching incidents and police-impersonation scams. The operations led to the arrest of three individuals and the recovery of stolen property valued at over ₹10.65 lakh.
Following directives from senior police officials to curb rising street crimes, a team led by Senior Police Inspector Shital Raut intensified technical surveillance and intelligence gathering.
Syndicate 1: Chain snatching and mobile theft
Acting on a specific tip-off, the Crime Branch laid a trap at the Kalyan-Bhiwandi Bypass on February 4, 2026. Police apprehended Ravindra Dhanaji Bhosale (24), a resident of Ambivli, Kalyan. During the interrogation, Bhosale confessed to carrying out multiple robberies across Thane, Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar and Pune.
Further investigation led to the arrest of his accomplice and receiver of stolen goods, Dinesh Pandurang Patil (43).
Recovered property:
150 grams (15 tolas) of gold jewellery.
21 mobile phones.
Total estimated value: ₹8,45,000.
With these arrests, the police have successfully solved 16 pending cases registered across various jurisdictions, including Bhiwandi City, Narpoli, Nizampura, Mahatma Phule Chowk, Kapurbawdi, Badlapur, Mumbra and several Railway Police stations.
Syndicate 2: Police impersonation scams
In a separate operation, the Crime Branch targeted a gang specialising in "Police Batavani" (impersonation of police officers). The primary suspect, Mohammad Aziz Jafari, a resident of Pune, was intercepted in Bhiwandi.
Jafari and his associates reportedly targeted citizens by posing as undercover officers, often using the pretext of a "security check" to trick victims into handing over their valuables.
Recovered property:
45 grams of gold jewellery.
Total estimated value: ₹2,20,000.
Investigations revealed that the stolen ornaments had been sold to a jeweller in Bidar, Karnataka. This arrest has solved two major cases registered at Shantinagar and Narpoli police stations.
Commendation for the force
The successful operations were conducted under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Dr Punjabrao Ugale, Deputy Commissioner of Police Amarsingh Jadhav and Assistant Commissioner of Police Shekhar Bagade.
The field operation was executed by Senior PI Shital Raut along with a dedicated team of officers and constables, including API Shriraj Mali, PSI Ravindra Patil and ASI Sudhakar Chaudhary, among others.
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"Our teams are committed to making the streets safer. These arrests send a clear message to organised syndicates that we are monitoring their movements across district lines," said a senior official from the Thane Crime Branch.
Police are currently investigating further leads to identify more accomplices and potential victims linked to these syndicates.
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