Elaborate manhunt takes police from Versova to Jammu as they crack tactics of man who had made off with Rs 40 lakh from music composer’s office
Composer Pritam with Ashish Sayal (in purple sweatshirt) near the Vaishno Devi temple in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, in 2023
The Malad police have arrested the office boy of music director, composer and musician Pritam Chakraborty who allegedly absconded with Rs 40 lakh in cash from the artiste’s studio on February 4. The accused, Ashish Sayal, 32, was traced to Samba district in Jammu, where he was nabbed on Wednesday. Sayal was brought to Mumbai early on Friday on transit remand.
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The cops have recovered 95 per cent of the stolen cash.
On the day of the alleged theft, producer Madhu Mantena had sent the bag to the studio, located on the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road, as part of a business transaction.
CCTV footage of Ashish Sayal lugging around the bag on the day of the theft
Pritam’s manager, Vinit Chheda, placed the bag in the studio office in the presence of Sayal and other staff members. Later, he found the bag missing and was informed that Sayal had taken it, claiming he was going to deliver it to Pritam’s residence. Chheda immediately informed Pritam about the situation. However, the music director initially believed that Sayal would return, as he had been working for him for nine years. After waiting overnight and seeing no sign of Sayal, Pritam instructed his manager to file a police complaint. A manhunt was then launched. A team led by PSI Tushar Sukhdeve, along with his detection team, under the guidance of Anand Bhoite, DCP, Zone XI; Senior Inspector Vijaykumar Panhale; and Police Inspector Sanjay Bedwal, made multiple attempts to track him down.
On the run
According to the police after committing the crime, the accused roamed around the suburbs for seven hours to throw authorities off his scent and eventually boarded a flight to Amritsar.
The accused, Ashish Sayal, who worked for music director Pritam for nine years, in the custody of the Malad police
A police officer said, “He travelled through Malad, Kandivli, Charkop and other areas, eventually reaching a friend’s home in Versova carrying the bag full of cash.” Tracking the accused’s movements proved challenging for the police. It took them eight days to uncover his escape route as his mobile phone was switched off.
“Eventually, a breakthrough came after we learnt Sayal had travelled to Versova. It was there where he took help to transfer the cash via an angadia [traditional courier] to Chandigarh. He reached Amritsar via flight a day after the theft. From, there travelled via cab to Chandigarh, collected the money and boarded a bus to Kashmir,” said an officer. According to the police, the accused, originally from Kashmir, did not immediately return home. Instead, he stayed at various hotels in Jammu and Kashmir to avoid detection. He spent approximately R3 lakh purchasing the latest iPhone and a laptop.
Samba situation
According to the police, Sayal’s wife resided in Samba district near the Indo-Pakistan border and her father is a sub-inspector in the Jammu police.
“After absconding from Mumbai, the accused travelled to Jammu to attend the wedding of his sister-in-law, which took place on February 21. However, just two days before the wedding, the police arrested him while he was shopping with his wife in a market in Samba,” said a police officer.
Although locals initially created a commotion, they stopped protesting and cooperated with the police after being informed about the accused’s crime. The Malad police team then raided the accused’s in-laws’ house in Samba, where they recovered the stolen bag during a search and recovered approximately Rs 34 lakh in cash as well as the iPhone and laptop. According to the police, if Sayal had managed to evade arrest for another ten days, a significant portion of the money would have been spent on the wedding expenses.
‘Sayal was insecure’
A police officer said, “Pritam was not happy with Sayal’s work. Therefore, he asked the accused to work in another production house and even promised to help him find a job. Sayal felt that he was about to get the boot.” “He is expressing shame, telling us, ‘I made this mistake out of ignorance’,” the officer added. Pritam’s manager, Chheda, declined to comment on the matter.
February 19
Day accused was arrested
How the case was cracked
. Ashish Sayal escapes with R40 lakh from Pritam’s GMLR office on February 4
. Walks for seven hours through a circuitous route to reach friend’s home in Versova
. Ships bag of money to Amritsar with a human courier (angadia) and takes a flight there
. Reaches Samba, Jammu, home of his father-in-law, who is a J&K cop
. Buys iPhone and laptop with money, planning to spend the rest for sister-in-law’s wedding
. Cops track him down and recover the remaining R34 lakh in nick of time before it is spent
Sayal took care of Pritam’s parents during pandemic
. Pritam first met Sayal about nine years ago during a visit to Vaishno Devi.
. The accused introduced himself as a singer who had a deep interest in performing.
. Impressed by Sayal’s rendition of bhajans and kirtans, the music director decided to hire him.
. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sayal took care of Pritam’s parents and looked after the composer’s well-being, earning his trust.
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