Driver flees with builder’s car and valuables ₹1 crore, arrested from Akola

A chauffeur in Mumbai was arrested for stealing a car and valuables worth over ₹1 crore from a builder. The driver changed several modes of transport and tried to hide with relatives to escape the police. Valuables worth ₹1.36 crore were recovered.

MUMBAI: The Oshiwara police on Friday arrested a chauffeur who had taken off the car and cash and valuables worth over ₹1 crore of an Andheri-based builder on October 11. The accused had abandoned the car, thrown away his phone, changed several modes of transport and tried to stay with a relative far away from Mumbai for some time to escape the police.

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The incident took place on October 11 when complainant Dhirendra Sheth left his office in Marol Naka for a meeting in Jogeshwari with the accused, Santosh Chavhan, driving him. The driver had heard about a bag with ₹25 lakh in cash in the trunk, as per the police, as he was asked to not leave the car to prevent the money from being stolen.

After Sheth returned from the meeting, the driver and the car were nowhere to be found. His calls to Chavhan also went unanswered, said a police officer.

“The complainant later realised that there were other valuables in the car including jewellery worth ₹88 lakh and a phone. He had registered his complaint with us on the same day. We immediately started looking through the CCTV footage of the driver’s movements and saw that he had abandoned the car at Jogeshwari after throwing away its keys,” informed senior inspector Mohan Patil from Oshiwara police.

The police found that Chavhan had taken an autorickshaw from Jogeshwari to Goregaon. He had also thrown away his mobile phone on the way. “In order to leave no trail behind, he changed several modes of transport, and we lost track of him. A team was sent to his known address in Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai where his wife and kids were present but claimed to know nothing about the theft or the location of the accused,” said Patil.

Some officers kept an eye on the family and later came to know that a friend of Chavhan had gotten in touch with his wife. She was told to pack up everything and come to Akola with the kids to the place of their distant relatives.

“Another team had gone to Pune where the wife had said he had some acquaintances. Chavhan had met some friends in Pune whom he told he had lost his phone and wallet. With their help, he acquired a new phone and bought the SIM on their documents,” said Patil.

The police then tracked him through this new phone. His location was Alandi in Vidarbha at the time. A team was quickly dispatched to Akola, where Chavhan was apprehended from the house of his relatives.

The police were also able to recover valuables worth ₹1.36 crore, including the car, while the accused had spent around ₹50 lakh. Chavhan is currently in police custody.