Five women arrested for stealing fabrics worth Rs25.8 lakh from Mumbai godown

They used a duplicate key to steal cartons of cloth from the godown owned by one Mahesh Thakkar, said the police

Five women were arrested on Friday for allegedly stealing fabrics worth Rs25.8 lakh from a godown at Balasinor society in Kandivli (west) over two weeks.

To avoid attracting suspicion, the women would steal a small number of cartons during each break-in.

The women live near SV Road in Kandivli and are between 23 and 50 years old. They used a duplicate key to steal cartons of cloth from the godown owned by one Mahesh Thakkar, said the police.

To avoid attracting suspicion, the women would steal a small number of cartons during each break-in, said an officer. The police suspected the women had been doing this since July 3 and pilfered 34 cartons containing fabrics for Punjabi suits by July 18. Most of the five are housewives.

The incident came to light when Thakkar found that a few cartons were missing from the godown. He registered a complaint at Kandivli police station. After questioning people in the neighbourhood, the police zeroed in on a tempo driver who allegedly transported the stolen materials. This led the police to the five women. The police are investigating if the driver knew how the women acquired the cartons.

The accused would sell the stolen materials to another woman at a cheaper rate, said the officer. The police are yet to recover the stolen goods.

“The women have been booked on charges of break-in and theft,” said Mukund Pawar, senior inspector at Kandivli police station.

The women were on Saturday produced before a metropolitan court, which remanded them in police custody till July 24.

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