Three of ‘Ramji Nagar gang’ arrested for stealing 10 laptops

Three members of the 'Ramji Nagar gang' from Trichy have been arrested in Navi Mumbai for stealing laptops from parked cars. The gang is known for breaking car windows and stealing valuables. The accused were traced after two laptops were stolen and one of the victims tracked the stolen laptop's location. The police found 10 laptops in the suspects' possession. They have been involved in similar thefts in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune over the past 20 days. The accused sell the stolen laptops or dismantle them for parts. They have been arrested under theft and mischief causing damage charges.

Navi Mumbai: Three men belonging to the ‘Ramji Nagar gang’ from Trichy, Tamil Nadu, were arrested by the Vashi police on January 10 with around 10 stolen laptops. The gang is famous for breaking the car’s glass and taking the valuables available.

Navi Mumbai, India - Jan. 16, 2024:Three from Tamil Nadu arrested in Navi Mumbai for stealing laptops from parked cars , Press Conference at Vashi Police Station in Navi Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, January 16, 2024. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

The accused have been identified as Senthil Durairajan Kumar R D, 48, Murti Ramaswami Chinnappan, 30, and Shiv Vishwanathan, 47.

The trio have been loitering in Maharashtra for the last 20 days, going around stealing valuables from parked cars in various parts of the state. The trio were traced after two laptops were stolen from parked cars on January 10 from sector 17, Vashi. The complainant, in this case, could trace his laptop’s location through his phone. Accordingly, he got his stolen laptop’s location at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

Assuming they had gone to CSMT Railway Station, Vashi police alerted the local police there. “We had obtained the CCTV footage of the accused breaking the window glass. We sent the photos to the police there,” Nilesh Barse, police sub-inspector, Vashi Railway Station, said. “At CSMT railway station, the police traced the suspects, and during a search of their bags, they found 10 laptops.”

According to police, the accused used a pen-like device to break the window glass pane. The accused conducted the theft in broad daylight in such a way that even a person standing nearby would not realise that the glass pane of the car had been cut through. “Within seconds, they would make way with the valuables after breaking the glass. The breaking of glass does not make any sound. After stealing from one car, they would walk around and target another car,” a police officer said.

In the last 20 days, we have been able to crack six similar cases in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune,” the officer added. The accused are history sheeters and earn a living only with similar thefts. After the theft, they return to their hometown and sell the stolen laptops in the open market or even disassemble them and sell their parts, the police said.

The accused have been arrested under sections 380 (theft) and 427 (mischief causing damage) of the Indian Penal Code.