Mumbai: A fortnight after a senior citizen's bag containing Rs 6 lakh in cash was stolen by three unidentified men on a bus, Malad Police have arrested the accused trio. Police said, the 67-year-old man was travelling on BEST bus route no. 345 last month, when three men whisked off his bag which had Rs 6 lakh in cash and fled. They were booked for theft and arrested on the basis of CCTV camera footage.
According to police, Shivaji Suryavanshi had boarded the bus to go from Charkop Depot to Orlem Church in Malad (W) on November 16. He was carrying a small duffel bag with Rs 6 lakh in it, to pay a developer for a property deal, said police. Suryavanshi was on the seat reserved for senior citizens and was engrossed in talking and texting on his phone, when three unidentified men came from behind and walked away with his bag. Before Suryavanshi realised what had happened, the trio had alighted from the bus.
Suryavanshi immediately approached Malad Police and registered a case of theft against the men. In the course of their investigation, police scanned CCTV camera footage of the area. They also activated their network of informers and identified the trio as history-sheeters for picking pockets. Further investigation identified them as Anil Tukaram Gaikwad, 52, Aslam Sajid Khan, 50, and Jalil Ahmed Mulla, 46. Police then laid a trap for them and arrested them on November 30.
During investigation, the trio revealed that since the senior citizen was not paying much attention to his bag, they managed to get away with the theft. They were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for theft (section 279). Police revealed, the trio had been booked in several cases of theft at suburban police stations.
