Locals nab two armed robbers at Kalbadevi; 3 others escape

The accused, Manoj Rana, 26, and Lalan Qureshi, 31, were caught carrying two country-made revolvers and tools used for house break-ins

Alert citizens of south Mumbai’s Kalbadevi area managed to catch two of five armed robbers who were trying to break into a house in their locality on Wednesday morning. LT Marg police have arrested the two accused and are now on the lookout for their accomplices.

Locals nab two armed robbers at Kalbadevi; 3 others escape (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The accused, Manoj Rana, 26, and Lalan Qureshi, 31, were caught carrying two country-made revolvers and tools used for house break-ins. According to LT Marg police officers, the incident occurred at 12.30am in Kalbadevi’s Aggyari lane when a few locals taking a leisurely walk after dinner, spotted five men entering a nearby building. The residents noticed that three of the men were attempting to enter a gated building while two others were trying to break the lock of the ground floor flat.

The residents intercepted the trio and enquired about their identities and what they were doing at the residential building. When the locals threatened the three, they pushed the residents and fled from the scene. The residents cornered the two remaining suspects who were already inside the building and called the emergency police helpline.

Santosh Raut, senior inspector of LT Marg police station, said a patrolling team saw the three men running and suspected foul play.

“Just when the officers were patrolling the locality they found three men running away from a building where a group of people had gathered. The officers reached the building when they received a call from the police control room about the incident,” said Raut.

The officers tried to chase the three robbers but they got away. “We have arrested Rana and Qureshi on charges of attempt to robbery and are on the lookout for their accomplices,” said Raut.