Gang of five paint the town raid, steal from elderly Bandra couple

The building at St. Paul's Road in Bandra West where the incident occurred last Sunday

A gang of five turned a reel life heist into a real life one by imitating Akshay Kumar's 2013 flick Special 26. Last Sunday, they entered a posh housing society in Bandra posing as Income Tax (I-T) officers, conducted a fake raid in the flat of a businessman and walked away with cash, jewellery and eight gold coins worth Rs 2.5 lakh.

The incident occurred when the unnamed businessman's elderly parents and a male servant were in the flat at St. Paul's Road, Bandra West. His father Ashok Mehra, 64, and his wife did not realise they'd been looted by the gang until Ashok narrated the incident to his son, who was not at home when all of this happened.

Here for a raid
Giri Maharaj, the security guard of the housing society, told mid-day, "Five people, including a woman, came at 10 am and asked me if Mr. Mehra was present at home. They told me they're from the I-T department and have come to carry out a raid. One of them confiscated my mobile phone and asked me to accompany them to Mehra's fourth floor flat," said Maharaj.

All of them reached fourth floor and Maharaj rang the doorbell at 10 am. "The servant opened the door and all of them forcibly entered the flat. They asked the servant to call the elderly couple as this was an I-T raid," said a senior police officer. When the couple reached the drawing room, one of them flashed his 'identity card' and began searching the house, said another officer, adding, "The gang had confiscated their cell phones so that they don't contact anyone. They returned those while leaving the house at 2 pm." Maharaj said the gang members - all of whom were well-dressed and conversed in English - continued to carry out the 'fake raid' for four hours, searching for unaccounted cash, jewellery, the documents, etc. The elderly couple is terribly traumatised after the incident and was not in a condition to speak to mid-day when they were approached for comment.

"The Mehra family has been residing in this 3BHK flat for the last 40 years. This is the first time that such an incident has taken place in our society," said Maharaj, who has been working as a security guard since the building was constructed, adding, "The gang members were aware of the members present at Mehra's house. It seemed like they had been conducting a recce for a long time."

When their son came home, "The elderly couple narrated the incident to him. He got alarmed and went to the Bandra police station," said the officer. A case was registered against the five at the Bandra police station under various sections of IPC and begun their probe. However, no arrest has been made so far.

Didn't bring vehicles
A police officer privy to the investigation said all the gang members walked to the housing society. "It seems they deliberately did not bring their vehicles close to the crime spot, fearing they could be easily traced by their vehicle's number plate. They are seen entering the housing society on foot, and calmly exiting," said the officer. Recently, the Santacruz police arrested a gang of five for committing a similar offence in Santacruz West.

Also Read: Mumbai Crime: Bike-Borne Thieves Snatch Elderly Couple's International Trip

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