20-year-old man wanted in Mirzapur ATM van heist arrested from Andheri

On September 12, Paswan along with three others had opened fire when a cash van arrived at the bank to load cash into the ATM on Imarti Road, Mirzapur, intending to steal the money. One gunman deployed on the cash van died in the attack, while his other colleagues sustained grievous injuries

MUMBAI: A 20-year-old man, who was wanted in an armed robbery that happened in Mirzapur on September 12 this year, was arrested by the MIDC police in Andheri East on Saturday. The group of four had resorted to indiscriminate firing while looting a cash van, which killed one and injured three others. During ‘Operation All Out,’ conducted by the Mumbai police on Friday night, they received a tip-off of the accused, Chandan Kamlesh Paswan, living with factory workers near SEEPZ.

Chandan Kamlesh Paswan

On September 12, Paswan along with three others had opened fire when a cash van arrived at the bank to load cash into the ATM on Imarti Road, Mirzapur, intending to steal the money. One gunman deployed on the cash van died in the attack, while his other colleagues sustained grievous injuries.

“We got to know about a man living near SEEPZ in the slum area where factory workers lived. It was strange that this man, who claimed to be from Jharkhand, was occupying an entire upper floor of a two-storyed house. He did not work but seemed to have no dearth of money,” said a police officer.

After learning that he had come to the city after spending time in Uttar Pradesh, they contacted the Mirzapur police, who confirmed Paswan was an absconding accused. After receiving the confirmation, they planned to lay a trap and catch him.

“We had also told the Mirzapur police about our plans in advance and asked them to be present in the city so that we could hand him over,” Datta Nalawade, deputy commissioner of police, Zone 10, said.

After calling their counterparts from Mirzapur to the city, the MIDC police did a recce of the house where Paswan was living. “On the day when we planned to pick him up, we wanted to seal all exit points so he could not escape, and that is exactly what happened when we raided the house,” said the officer. The accused was taken to Uttar Pradesh by the Mirzapur police after completing the due procedures on Saturday morning.

The four accused were booked by the Katra police under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), and 394 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code.

The operation was conducted by a team under the guidance of the additional commissioner of police for the west zone, Paramjeet Singh Dahiya, DCP Nalawade, and assistant commissioner of police for MIDC region Dr Shashikant Bhosle by a team led by senior inspector Satish Gaikwad, inspector Vitthal Ardekar and sub-inspector Yash Palve.

Operation All Out

During ‘Operation All Out’ on Friday night, the Mumbai police arrested 8 wanted/absconding accused, served Non-Bailable Warrants (NBW) issued by various courts on 87 accused, detained 6 drug peddlers, seized 30 illegal weapons, including knives and swords, busted 22 illegal gambling dens and arrested 46 people who were externed from the city but were found in the city. The police also removed 281 illegal hawkers.

A combing operation was carried out in the city at around 214 points checking 1,115 record criminals and initiating preventive action against 248 accused. The police also checked 944 hotels and lodges and 552 sensitive points were also checked.

The traffic police had also arranged for 108 naka-bandis across the city on Friday night. “We checked 7,738 vehicles and action was taken against 60 persons for driving under the influence, action was also taken against 2,483 vehicle owners for driving without valid papers.