Sleuths of the Valiv police have arrested eight members of a gang that had wreaked havoc in the region by committing a series of offences including house breaking, thefts and auto-lifting cases.
Alarmed by the sudden rise in the number of crimes, a team from the Valiv police station led by Senior Police Inspector- Vilas Chougle under the supervision of DCP (Zone III)-Prashant Waghunde activated their informer network and scanned antecedents of criminals using a similar modus operandi.
Following a specific tip-off supported by a robust technical surveillance system zeroed in on the eight members of the gang including the kingpin-Niyaazmulla Amimulla Choudhary alias Lala (23) and his accomplices who have been identified as- Riddesh Chavhan alias Bala (20), Jameel Mushtak Shaikh (23), Akbar Baithullah Khan (32), Aaksah Govind Reddy (22), Suraj Triloknat Chourasiya (20), Kailash Suresh Shirsat (38) and Ganesh Arun Patil (21)- all residents of remote villages and hamlets in and around Vasai.
The gang members have confessed to their involvement in 19 offences including house breaking, thefts and auto-lifting cases under the jurisdiction of the Valiv police station while one theft case has been registered against them at the Charkop police station in Kandivali, Mumbai.
The police team have also recovered cash and stolen booty including mobile phones, gold ornaments and vehicles- all amounting more than Rs. 9.24 lakh. The gang members have been booked under sections 454, 380, 457, 392 and 379 of the IPC. Further investigations were underway.
