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Three interstate gang members held for targeting parked luxury cars
According to police, on July 4, the gang allegedly broke the window of a Porsche parked at the mall and stole a laptop bag, a Samsung Z Fold mobile phone and ₹40,000 in cash.
PUNE: Pune police have arrested three alleged members of an interstate gang from Tamil Nadu accused of smashing the windows of parked luxury cars and stealing valuables, officials said on Tuesday.
The accused, Raja Arumugam (47), Lakshmanan S. Santhakumar (40) and Muthulingam Paramanandam Lingam (40), were arrested on July 9 in connection with a theft at Phoenix Marketcity on Pune-Nagar Road.
According to police, on July 4, the gang allegedly broke the window of a Porsche parked at the mall and stole a laptop bag, a Samsung Z Fold mobile phone and ₹40,000 in cash. Vimantal police registered an FIR under Sections 303(2) and 324 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
A team led by Police Sub-Inspector Nitin Rathod analysed CCTV footage and circulated photographs of the suspects before receiving a tip-off about their presence near Kharadi Bypass.
“Acting on a tip-off, we learnt that the suspects were near the Kharadi Bypass. We laid a trap and apprehended all three,” Rathod said.
Police recovered ₹50,000 in cash and tools allegedly used to break car windows, including hairpins, rubber strips and metal blades.
Investigators suspect the accused stayed at a lodge near Pune railway station and targeted high-end vehicles parked at malls and public parking lots. Police said the accused were not cooperating as they did not know Marathi, Hindi or English, prompting investigators to engage a Tamil translator.
Police believe the gang was also involved in similar vehicle break-ins in Kharadi, Yerawada and Latur. Further investigation is underway to establish their involvement in other cases and recover stolen property.
