2 from gang that robbed senior citizens arrested

They targeted those who could not run behind them after the robbery- the elderly people, women, and people who were overweight

MUMBAI: The Khar police station arrested two members of a gang that deceives senior citizens and robs their jewellery. The latest robbery that led to their arrest last week was when they duped a 73-year-old woman last month and stole jewellery worth ₹1.31 lakh from her.

2 from gang that robbed senior citizens arrested

The two accused, identified as 24-year-old Arjun Kale and 20-year-old Balaji Pawar, are pavement dwellers. A police officer said the accused targeted those who could not run behind them after the robbery- the elderly people, women, and people who were overweight.

On November 27, one of them approached the senior citizen at Khar Danda area at around 11.45pm. He told her his employer was celebrating his newborn child’s birth by giving money as charity to poor people. He took her to an adjoining lane and asked her to remove her jewellery, so that she appears poor to claim the money. She put her 2 tola gold chain, 1 tola gold earrings, and half tola ear ornaments in her purse, and the accused put it away in his bag. They would then do away with the money while their victims waited for them to return with the promised money.

According to the police, the duo has over 35 cases of cheating registered against them in several police stations across Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Pune. Out of this, five cases were registered at Khar Police station.

The Khar police have booked them under sections 318 (cheating) and 3 (6) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and arrested them on December 18. The two have been remanded to judicial custody. They have recovered a total of ₹4.54 lakh from the accused, out of which ₹1.31 lakh worth valuables were stolen from the senior citizen.