Senior citizen works out in gym, neighbour robs her house in Charkop

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Neighbours generally come to each other's aid, but a woman recently helped herself to the money and valuables of another resident in her building. The Mumbai Crime Branch's unit-XI arrested the woman, Ruchita Sachin Tanna, 38, for robbing a senior citizen's house at Charkop, on Wednesday.

Akbar Pathan, DCP detection, said, "Tanna stays in the same building as the complainant. She and the complainant regularly workout at the gym in their building. During the workout every body keeps their belongings in a corner. On June 20, Tanna stole the house key from the victim's purse kept there and entered her flat."

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"Tanna knew that the senior citizen would take over 40 minutes in the gym. As her son stays abroad and no one else was in the house, Tanna was relaxed and stole Rs 1.5 lakh cash and 220 gm gold. She then kept the keys in the victim's purse," another officer said.

The victim's house has CCTV cameras installed but nothing was recorded as Tanna switched off the lights. The victim approached Charkop police and lodged the FIR against unknown persons.

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The Crime Branch scanned CCTV cameras in the building and suspected Tanna. When she was questioned the robbery was revealed. Police also arrested the owner of a jewellery shop in Kandivali for buying the stolen gold. He was identified as Dipak Hastimal Sarkariya, 43. Tanna owns an optic shop and told police she had purchased a flat and needed money to pay off the loan. An officer said in 2010 too she had looted a man and had been arrested by Andheri police.

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