Close aide steals cash, valuables of ₹75L from ex-corporator’s house

Mehra immediately called up the police as cash and jewellery worth around ₹75 lakh were missing from his house. The police said that Mehra, who is from the Congress party, also owns a business of supplying cable in the area due to which cash transactions are his daily routine

MUMBAI: A close aide of former corporator Rajiv Omprakash Mehra was arrested for allegedly robbing cash and jewellery worth ₹75 lakh from the corporator’s house on Monday night.

Thane, India - April 25, 2023: The Mira Road police display cash and jewellery worth Rs. 75 lakhs and the accused during a press conference after having detected a house breaking case within 12 hours by arresting the thief who broke into the house of former corporator Rajiv Omprakash Mehra, at Mira Road, in Thane district, India, on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. (Photo by Azim Tamboli/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

The Mira Road police officers said that they cracked the case within 12 hours of the theft and arrested the accused identified as Sanjeev Kumar Singh.

According to the police officers, Mehra had left his house at 12pm on Monday to meet his party workers and for other meetings. As he returned at 9pm, he noticed that the lock on the door of his terrace was broken and his cupboard and safe had been ransacked.

Mehra immediately called up the police as cash and jewellery worth around ₹75 lakh were missing from his house. The police said that Mehra, who is from the Congress party, also owns a business of supplying cable in the area due to which cash transactions are his daily routine.

“Only a person close to Mehra could have known about such a huge sum of cash and the location of the safe. We found that nothing apart from the cupboard containing the cash and jewellery was touched by the robber,” said Avinash Ambure, deputy commissioner of police (crime), Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar.

Ambure said that as they studied the spot, they found the CCTV images of the house and of the area where they immediately identified the accused. “Within 12 hours we arrested Singh from his house in Sheetal Nagar on Mira Road,” said Ambure.

The police said that Singh was a trusted aide of Mehra who had been working with him for years, “Singh was also called ‘Neta’ for his proximity to Mehra,” said a police officer from Mira Road police station.

The police arrested Singh and recovered the entire stolen cash and jewellery from his residence. “Singh wanted the money to start his own business and knew that Mehra had cash in his locker. We have arrested Singh for housebreaking and will produce him before the court on Wednesday,” said Ambure.