Three from gang that robbed bank customers held; kingpin on the run

Police have recovered items worth ₹4 lakh, including cash, gold jewellery and bikes used for the robberies.

The Waliv police on Saturday arrested three members of a gang that used to target people leaving banks with large amounts of money.

Police were able to identify the accused using CCTV footage from the area. (ANI File Photo/ Representative image)

Police have recovered items worth ₹4 lakh, including cash, gold jewellery and bikes used for the robberies.

The arrested accused — identified as Kotesh Gaikwad, 56; Ratan Gunjal, 46; and Gunjal’s brother Sunil, 35 — have at least 12 cases of theft registered against them.

The main accused, who is also Gaikwad’s son-in-law, is absconding, said police.

“Gaikwad got his daughter married to the main accused because he was a smarter thief than Gaikwad. The absconding accused had learnt the tricks of the trade from undertrials during the time he spent in jail,” said inspector Vilas Chowgule of Waliv police station

Explaining the gang’s modus operandi, Chowgule said, “A member of the gang would enter the bank and wait there for hours, observing which customers left the bank with large amounts of cash. After identifying the target, he would alert the other two who would be waiting outside the bank.”

The victims generally kept the cash in the boot of the car. The accused would then follow the victim’s vehicle. Whenever the victim made a stop and got down, the accused would break open the boot or car windows and decamp with the money,” Chowgule added.

Police were able to identify the accused using CCTV footage from the area. “The accused have been involved in robberies across Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Manickpur, Palghar and Vasai. We suspect that the main accused is hiding in Andhra Pradesh,” said Chowgule.