Khar police examined footage from 350-400 CCTV cameras across city; suspects frequently changed clothes and travelled in autorickshaws
Accused were arrested near Western Railway Colony, SV Road
The Khar police on Tuesday arrested two members of the Bol Bachchan Gang and also recovered gold jewellery worth Rs 1.31 lakh from them. Police have identified the two arrested accused as Arjun Bapunath Kale, 24, and Balaji Rohidas Pawar, 20, both residents of Gangakhed in Parbhani district. Police said that the two accused are wanted in more than 50 cases registered across various police stations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and suburbs.
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The notorious gang targeted senior citizens across Mumbai and Maharashtra by luring them with offers of free cash, sarees, and ration, said police, adding that the accused frequently changed their routes, clothes, and vehicles before and after committing crimes to hide their identities. According to the police, the gang would approach senior citizens on the road and offer them sweets, claiming that their boss had a son after many years and was so happy that he is distributing money, sarees, and ration for free.
The gang would then instruct them to remove their jewellery and place it in their wallets or purses as they should appear poor in front of their boss and using sleight of hand, the accused would disappear with the victim's belongings. The arrest came following a complaint registered by one Salma Gulamnabi Qureshi, 73, a resident of Khar West. According to the complainant, one of the accused approached her while she was on her way to the market. The accused lured her by saying, “Our boss has had a son after many years and is distributing money and sarees to senior citizens. Please come with me.”
Trusting the accused, the woman followed him, who then instructed her to remove her gold jewellery and put it in her purse. Believing him, Qureshi removed her gold chain and earrings and put them in her purse and handed it to the accused, who then disappeared, police said. The incident occurred on November 27, between 11.45 am and 12.35 pm, in the Khar Danda area. “After waiting for ten minutes, when the accused did not return, the victim realised she had been deceived and approached Khar police station to register an FIR,” said an officer at the Khar police station.
Police said that to arrest the accused, the Khar police examined 350-400 CCTV cameras along the route the accused took that covered Khar, Bandra, Mahim and Andheri. The footage revealed that the suspects frequently changed routes, clothes, and auto-rickshaws to evade identification. Under the guidance of West Region ACP Paramjit Singh Dahiya, DCP Dikshit Gedam (Zone 9), and Bandra Division ACP Adhikrao Pol, a team was formed to catch the accused.
Based on the description from the footage, the team identified the suspects with the help of sources and discovered that the accused were residents of the Parbhani district. Technical investigations revealed their temporary residences in Mumbai, and a tip-off confirmed their operations in the Khar, Bandra, Santacruz, and Kherwadi areas, said the officer mentioned above.
Accordingly, a trap was set, and the suspects were apprehended near Western Railway Colony, SV Road, Khar West, while attempting to flee, said the officer, adding that they were taken into custody, and during interrogation, their involvement in the crime was confirmed.
50
No. of cases registered against the accused persons
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