Couple arrested for robbing auto drivers

Couple arrested by Shil Daighar police for robbing auto drivers of their valuables and vehicles after hiring them late at night or early morning

The Shil Daighar police have arrested a husband-wife duo who had become the bane of auto rickshaw drivers over the last one month.

Couple, Sameer Shaikh and Fiza, after being arrested by Shil Daighar police for robbing auto drivers. (HT PHOTO)

According to the police, the accused have been identified as Sameer Sheikh (29) and his wife Fiza (21). The police said that inquiries into the matter were initiated on October 25, when an auto rickshaw driver registered a complaint against the couple. Even as the police were investigating the matter, another similar complaint was registered on Wednesday.

“In both the cases, the couple had hailed the victim’s auto rickshaw at around 1am, taken him to spots like Shil Phata or Kalyan Phata, threatened him with a blade and robbed him of all his valuables including his money, cell phone and auto rickshaw. The spots were chosen for robbery after careful examination as these spots are deserted in the early hours of the morning, poorly lit and only partially covered by CCTV cameras. The presence of a woman also helped as it made the auto rickshaw drivers less suspicious,” assistant police inspector Bhushan Kapadnis, Shil Daighar police station, said.

After the police received the first complaint, the investigation team scanned all the available CCTV footage but failed to find any usable image that could aid them in their investigation. Hence, the police shared a rough description of the accused with their local informants and sought any and all information about them. By the time the second case was registered, the police already had a tip off about Sameer and Fiza behind the spate of robberies.

Sameer and Fiza were questioned and allegedly confessed to having robbed several auto rickshaw drivers over the last one month. They have been placed under arrest. They also told their interrogators that they had help from one more accomplice who is currently wanted.

“We have recovered both the auto rickshaws robbed from our jurisdiction from the accused, as well as four cell phones. We have also found a similar case registered against them with the Turbhe police station in Navi Mumbai. By their own admission, the accused have been committing robberies roughly every alternate day for the last 20 to 25 days, and more such cases are expected to come to light,” Kapadnis said.