HT EXCLUSIVE: Ace lensman’s Parel house robbed of Rs9L, carpenter held

This is the fourth robbery case since July last year, apart from two other attempted robberies, in the C wing of Ashok Towers at Parel

Fashion photographer Atul Kasbekar was robbed of cash and valuables worth Rs9 lakh.

Atul Kasbekar registered the case in the first week of February.

A case was registered with the Bhoiwada police station following which a carpenter, who worked in the building, was arrested. This is the fourth robbery case since July last year, apart from two other attempted robberies, in the C wing of Ashok Towers at Parel. The arrested carpenter has confessed, the police said. Former commissioner of Mumbai police D Shivanandan heads the society committee at Ashok Towers.

Kasbekar registered the case in the first week of February and the police believed someone working in the building was committing the crimes. A police officer from Bhoiwada police station said, “There are around 170 CCTV cameras inside the premises, but we didn’t find anyone acting suspiciously. The security system is strict and bags are checked while entering and leaving the building. So we suspected someone working in the building was committing these crimes.”

The officer said, “All the other robberies were committed in the day , while Kasbekar’s residence was broken into after 7pm. We looked at a list of employees who waited after 7pm for work on the same date and called them in.”

Bharat Suthar, 28, who worked as a carpenter in the building, confessed to the crime. Suthar, who is a resident of Bhayendar, told the police he would enter the houses through the bathroom window.

“Suthar was working on the sixth floor of the C-tower building at Ashok Towers and he stole valuables from the 5th, 15th, 20th and Kasbekar’s 8th-floor house. He made two other attempts in the same building but couldn’t enter the houses because the residents were at home,” said an officer.

The police said cash and valuables worth Rs55 lakh were stolen from the Ashok Tower building since July and they were attempting to recover the goods.

BOX 1

Modus Operandi

Bharat Suthar, a carpenter was working in a sixth floor apartment since May 2016. He checked the possible ways to steal valuables.

During working hours, on the pretext of answering nature’s call, he would enter bathroom and started climbing through pipes and entering other houses through bathroom windows.

Following which he would walk off with valuables from the houses and start working again in the same sixth floor residence.

Later post working hours, as bags were being checked at the main gates by the security guards, he had noticed that they were using body frisking machines, so Suthar hide valuables inside his undergarments and walked off.

BOX 2

Past cases of house break-ins at celebrity’s residence

August 2016 - Cash and valuables worth Rs 3.25 lakh were stolen from Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s sister Arpita Khan-Sharma’s house, Pacific Heights, in Bandra. Khar police registered the case and later arrested a servant who had stolen the valuables.

November 2016 - Diamond jewellery worth Rs 80 lakh belonging to filmmaker Kiran Rao was stolen from actor Aamir Khan’s place at Carter Road. Khar police had registered the case but weren’t successful in detecting even after detaining heir maid servant on whom, the actor had raised suspicion on.

BOX 3

Sections

The accused has been booked under sections 454 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking in order to commit offence punishable with imprisonment), 457 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night in order to commit offence punishable with imprisonment) and 380 (theft in dwelling house, etc) of the Indian Penal Code while he was produced in court and has been remanded to police custody till Saturday.