Mumbai Crime: Three, including two GRP cops, held for stealing gold worth Rs 2.47 cr

The investigators and the accused. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

The Trombay police have arrested two railway cops and a Mangalore-based jeweller's employee for allegedly stealing 4.5 kilograms of gold worth R2.47 crore and R1.16 lakh in cash. The trio had conspired to fake a robbery and the worker, Nitin Patil, 28, even took sleeping pills before lying down near railway tracks in Navi Mumbai. But after he was discovered by railway cops and sent to Trombay police station to register an FIR, the plot was foiled and he spilt the beans. The cops have recovered all the stolen articles.

On December 8 morning, Trombay cops received a call from Vashi Railway police stating that a person had been found near the tracks close to Juinagar railway station. "Patil was brought to the police station. He claimed that he had boarded a luxury bus from Mangalore on the night of December 6 and was scheduled to deboard at Sion but somebody had drugged him and snatched 4.5 kg of gold and cash worth Rs 1.16 lakh," said an officer from Trombay police station.

The police with the seized booty

Patil also stated that he remembered deboarding in a daze at Panjrapole near Deonar but didn't remember how he landed up near Juinagar station. The police, however, later found CCTV footage in which a hale and hearty Patil could be seen getting down from a bus with a bag, which clearly showed that he was lying.

"Patil had been non-responsive to his employer for 24 hours and had also lied about the robbery. Our men started questioning him which led to him speaking the truth," said Hemrajsingh Rajput, DCP (Zone 6). "He revealed he had two accomplices and that the gold was with them," he added.

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Police teams appointed by Senior Inspector Ravindra Ranshevare and Inspector Fareed Khan subsequently set out to track down the accused, Vikas Pawar and Prabhakar Natekar, who were attached to the Thane railway police. Pawar was nabbed in Thane but it was learnt that Natekar had gone to his hometown in Sangli district.

A team was immediately dispatched to Sangli but during their journey, they received intelligence that their target was on his way to Mumbai. A trap was then laid near Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai. After he was busted, Natekar told cops that the booty had been kept in his village home. The trio have been booked under Sections 408 (criminal breach of trust by clerk or servant) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

The plan

Patil was working in the jeweller's shop for more than five years and had left the job to take care of his ailing parents. After revealing to Natekar, his friend, that he was in need of money, the latter replied that if he received a big consignment to deliver to Zaveri Bazaar, they could chalk out a plan.

Patil was constantly in touch with Natekar and also told him when his employer handed over the gold and cash. The railway police officer told him to get down at Panjrapole and meet him at Kalamboli. On the morning of December 7, Patil switched off his phone after getting down at Panjrapole and rushed towards Kalamboli in a taxi and met Natekar and Pawar.

The mistake

Patil handed over the booty to Natekar and the trio travelled to Thane in the latter's car. The 28-year-old threw his cellphone into the creek near Kharghar. His co-conspirators then marked their attendance at the Thane railway station. While Pawar remained on duty, Natekar bought sleeping pills for Patil. He then dropped the youth off at Juinagar and set off for his hometown with the gold and cash. On December 8, Patil's employer came to Mumbai. After cops had detained Patil and Pawar, they noticed Natekar was being called constantly his colleague, which confirmed his involvement. The trio had decided that the booty would be kept hidden for a couple of years after which they would distribute it among themselves.

Rs 2.47cr
Value of the stolen gold