Mumbai Crime: 17-year-old boy steals valuables worth Rs 21 lakh, hides them inside manhole; held

Photo for representational purpose

A 17-year-old boy was detained by Juhu Police on Sunday for allegedly stealing valuables worth Rs 21 lakh from a businessman's house in the western suburbs.

As per a report in The Indian Express, the accused who is a history-sheeter, hid the goods in a manhole.

The police added that an incident of house break-in had recently taken place at Nehru Nagar in Juhu. The complainant, Pooja Devendra, who had gone to Mahabaleshwar along with her family saw that the house was ransacked with valuables missing after she returned on February 5.

"The minor had broken the grill and entered the house. He knew that the family was not at home, so accordingly, he hatched a plan, went inside the house and stole gold and silver worth Rs 21 lakh," said an officer. A case under relevant sections of the IPC was registered.

During the course of investigation, the police received a tip-off that a boy from Nehru Nagar was throwing a party. He had ordered a crate of beer and invited his friends. "He is jobless and a Class 9 drop out. His father is a tempo driver. We knew that he could not have afforded it," said assistant inspector Hiralal Biradkar.

Officials on Sunday then took him to the police station for interrogation. The boy confessed to his crime, the police added.

As the investigators had to recover the valuables - 440 gm gold and 460 gm silver stolen from the complainant's house - they initially went to his house in search of the ornaments but could not find any.

"Later, the boy told us that he had hidden the ornaments in a gutter near his house," said senior inspector Shashikant Mane. The minor would often steal mobile phones and hide it inside the gutter, the police added.