‘Dayavan’ rickshaw led police to men who committed ₹9 lakh theft

Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar police arrested two thieves linked to a ₹9 lakh theft, using the clue 'Dayavan' from their getaway rickshaw.

MUMBAI: Crime Branch officers of the Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar police have arrested two alleged thieves within days of a ₹9 lakh theft committed by them. The police managed to nab them by working with only one clue: the word ‘Dayavan’ written on the back of their getaway rickshaw.

‘Dayavan’ rickshaw led police to men who committed ₹9 lakh theft

After scanning the footage of 300 CCTV cameras, the police officers, disguised as porters, stall employees and shoeshine boys, laid a trap outside Mumbai Central railway station and arrested the men who had stolen valuables worth ₹ 9 lakh from the house of a Vasai-based businessman .

The theft happened on March 26 at the house of Ali Akbar Thandlawala at Silent Park in Vasai West. The thieves broke into the then empty flat and fled with the valuables. The theft in a densely populated area created a stir, after which police commissioner Madhukar Pandey handed over the investigation of the case to Crime Branch Unit 3.

The police faced a huge challenge in nabbing the accused. After checking every CCTV in the area, one camera showed the two accused leaving in a rickshaw going towards Nalasopara. Their faces were visible. The number plate of the rickshaw was not visible but the word ‘Dayavan’ written on its back was, which became the sole clue available to track down the thieves.

The police then began hunting for such a rickshaw in Nalasopara. After going through hundreds of rickshaws and talking to rickshaw drivers, they obtained the contact details of a driver named Malang, who, they were told, the Dayavan rickshaw belonged to. Malang was not found but the police, after checking his call data, found a number on it which had been switched on only once, in Andheri. Later, the number was found to be switched off. Based on this, the police began checking the CCTVs near railway stations.

In the course of their search, one of the accused was seen passing through Mumbai Central station. A team of Crime Branch officers in various disguises waited for eight hours at the station. Eventually, one of the accused, Mushir Khan, 40, fell into the trap.

To catch the second accused, the officers pretended to be peddlers in Andheri and arrested Imram Sheikh, 34. Both the accused are habitual criminals and have been accused of over eight such house breakings in various police stations in Mumbai such as Powai, DN Nagar, Byculla, Santa Cruz and Shivaji Nagar.

Assistant police Inspector Suhas Kamble said that the third accused in this case was rickshaw driver Malang. “We are searching for him,” he said.