2 held for breaking into houses in Mumbai’s western suburbs, reselling stolen gold

Police on Saturday arrested two persons for breaking into and burglarising the homes of fishermen in Khar (West). The accused were actively committing offences since

Police on Saturday arrested two persons for breaking into and burglarising the homes of fishermen in Khar (West). The accused were actively committing offences since the lockdown was announced. Police said that the accused were aware that the Koli community kept gold in their houses and hence had targeted 13 houses in Khar Danda area. They also had criminal cases registered against them at other police stations in the western suburbs.

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The arrested accused have been identified as Sameer Shaukat Khan, 23, and Saddam Shaikh alias Bangali, 22. Gajanan Kabdule, senior inspector from Khar police station, said, “We have arrested the accused and are investigating the matter.”

Sachin Trimukhe sub-inspector, Khar police station, said, “Since 2019, many housebreaking cases were registered by us. We visited the area but there were no CCTV cameras. We were clueless, but recently, we got an input following which we arrested Khan from Kamothe in Navi Mumbai.”

Sources revealed that an informer tipped the police about Khan, pointing out that he kept changing his vehicle every few months and spent money on women. Following the input, police kept an eye on him. While probing the theft cases, police found that in the days after a theft occurred, Khan would receive money in his bank account.

According to police, Khan was arrested from Navi Mumbai, and during the interrogation, he told them about his accomplice Shaikh, a jewellery designer from West Bengal. Khan revealed that after every house break-in, he took Bangali’s help to melt and redesign the stolen gold. Shaikh also helped him sell the stolen gold to other jewellers.

“During the lockdown, Shaikh has returned to his hometown in West Bengal. Twice during the lockdown, he came to Mumbai via flight to help Khan melt and redesign the stolen gold,” said Trimukhe.

“We asked Khan to call Shaikh, saying he needed his help in another crime, and sent him a flight ticket. When Shaikh arrived in Mumbai, we nabbed him at the airport. We have recovered his car, bike 55-inch television and other properties worth ₹15 lakh,” Trimukhe added.

Khan, a native of Delhi moved to Mumbai in 2018 and started housebreaking in the western suburbs area.

The accused have been booked under section 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property), 457 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night in order to commit offence) and 380 (theft in dwelling house) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).