To evade arrest, thief leaves bag with loot outside BJP leader Lad’s bungalow

A bag found outside Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC Prasad Lad’s residence in Matunga in the early hours of Sunday sent police into a tizzy

A bag found outside Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC Prasad Lad’s residence in Matunga in the early hours of Sunday sent police into a tizzy. Later, it was found to have contained cash, old coins, and silver-plated coins of Ganpati idols, which were stolen from a nearby building. Police have, however, ruled out any foul play.

Bharatiya Janata Party MLC Prasad Lad HT Photo

According to police, cameras installed outside Lad’s bungalow have captured a man enter the adjacent building that is in a dilapidated condition and has been closed for years. “Around 6 am, he went inside a flat on the ground floor through the bathroom window,” senior inspector Deepak Chavan of Matunga police station said.

The thief stole valuables from the house and when he came out, he saw policemen roaming near the BJP leader’s house. “The policemen got suspicious and called the man. Fearing arrest, the thief got scared and dropped the bag and fled,” Chavan said.

Speaking to HT, Lad said, “Looking at the present situation, the police should be alert. There are several cameras installed outside my bungalow, and the footage has been given to the police. I hope the thief is identified and nabbed.” “Tomorrow anyone can come and drop a bag containing anything. There should be proper police security and vigilance so that no such incident occurs again,” he added.

“I don’t know the person and from where he brought the bag with coins and other things. Unless he is arrested how would it be possible to confirm anything? Today police are busy in bandobast duty but I hope that senior police officials will investigate the matter seriously,” Lad said.

A case of house break-in based on the statement given by a relative of the house owner has been registered at Matunga police station. “We will also call the owner of the flat and will record his statement. Police have been scrutinising the CCTV footage to trace the thief,” Chavan said.

“We are also checking the records of the thieves to find out if anyone has recently come out on bail. But it is clear that there is no foul play,” Chavan added.