Employees aware of boss’s business operations stole ₹40 lakh, six arrested; ₹36.48L recovered

THANE: Nearly a week after a businessman was robbed of ₹40 lakh while carrying the cash to a bank in Kalyan, the Thane police and crime branch have arrested six persons and recovered ₹36

THANE: Nearly a week after a businessman was robbed of ₹40 lakh while carrying the cash to a bank in Kalyan, the Thane police and crime branch have arrested six persons and recovered ₹36.48 lakh of the stolen amount.

Thane, India - September -21, 2026: The crime branch unit 3 arrested six persons who were involved in the day time robbery in Kalyan last week. Four people on bike had robbed a businessman who was on the way to deposit Rs. 40 lakh cash to the bank. One of the accused is a current employee of the business man who allegedly planned the robbery. The police have recovered Rs. 36 lakh cash from them. ,in Thane ,in Mumbai, India, on, Monday, September -21, 2026. ( photo by Praful Gangurde / Hindustan Times ) (Praful Gangurde)

The robbery, which took place on the afternoon of September 15 in a busy Kalyan market, was allegedly plotted by two employees of the businessman who were familiar with his business activities and the movement of cash from his shop to the bank.

The arrested accused have been identified as Sameer Sheikh, 28, Aftab Sheikh, 25, Shahnawaj Ansari, 36, Soheb Sheikh, 24, Mujahid Khan, 24, and Sahid Sheikh, 19. The accused are residents of Kalyan, Bhiwandi and Ambernath.

The case was registered at the Mahatma Phule police station after Faruque Akhtar, a biscuit and cigarette trader, was allegedly attacked while he was on his way to deposit ₹40 lakh at a Bank of Baroda branch in Kalyan.

According to the police, four masked men riding two motorcycles rammed their vehicles into Akhtar’s scooter, knocking him and his employee to the ground. The men then allegedly snatched the cash and fled the spot.

Investigators found that Soheb Sheikh and Sameer Sheikh, who had worked for Akhtar for several years, were aware of his business operations and regularly monitored the movement of cash collected from the shop to the bank. The two allegedly hatched the robbery plan and roped in the other accused, some of whom also worked at the same shop, police said.

Sarjerao Patil, senior police inspector who heads Unit 3 of the Crime Branch, said Sameer had been removed from the shop about two months ago after allegedly committing a theft, while Soheb continued to work there.

“Sameer was removed from his job by the owner two months ago for committing a theft at the shop. However, Soheb was still working there,” Patil said. “The duo planned the robbery, monitored the owner’s movements, and deployed the other four to execute the crime using two two-wheelers. After analysing digital footprints and CCTV footage, we arrested Soheb from Shahapur the same night, and the others were subsequently arrested from different parts of the city,” he said.

The six accused have been remanded in police custody until September 22.