3 arrested for stealing silver worth ₹2 lakh from Ganpati temple

Ulhasnagar Crime Branch cracked the case of stolen silver from Heramb Ganpati temple, arresting three accused and recovering jewellery worth ₹1.80 lakh.

THANE: Almost a week after three kg of silver worth ₹2 lakh and some cash were stolen from Heramb Ganpati temple in Ambernath, the Ulhasnagar Crime Branch on Thursday was able to crack the case and arrested the three accused.

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The accused, identified as Arbaaz Mehmood Khan, Satish Bhauseheb Bhalerao, and Riyan Sheikh, were captured in the temple CCTV camera. The police were able to recover the stolen jewellery worth ₹1.80 lakh from the accused.

The incident occurred on August 7 at the Ganpati temple in the Kher section of Ambernath. The thieves stole about three kilograms of silver jewellery from the temple’s sanctum and stole money from four donation boxes.

Although they attempted to cut the CCTV wires, they were still captured in the CCTV footage. A case was registered at the Shivajinagar police station in Ambernath, and the Ulhasnagar Crime Branch also conducted a parallel investigation.

Police Inspector Ashok Koli of the Crime Branch and his team thoroughly examined every clue. Despite reviewing CCTV footage, the police struggled to identify the culprits. Subsequently, the officers shifted their approach. They analysed the CCTV footage, noting details such as the suspects’ walking style, body language, and physical characteristics.

Using these observations, they alerted their sources and were eventually able to locate and apprehend the two suspects from the Ambernath location.

The Crime Branch received a tip-off that the accused had stored the stolen jewellery with a third party residing at Old Bhendipada Matka Chowk in Ambernath. Acting on this information, Police Sub-Inspector Shyam Rasale promptly deployed a team and arrested the trio.