3 held for stealing designer clothes

The Crime Branch arrested three men for stealing designer clothes from showrooms across the city after being employed as salesmen there, reports Shahkar Abidi.

The Crime Branch arrested three men for stealing designer clothes from showrooms across the city after being employed as salesmen there.

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The accused have been identified as Dawood Khan alias Vikas (27), Gheverchand Meghwal alias Rohit Mali (28) and Vikram Singh (28). Omprakash Pancharia, a businessmen dealing in designer bridal wear had lodged a complaint at Bhandup police station on March 29, saying he was cheated by Vikas and Mali, both once employed by him as salespersons.

In his police statement, Pancharia said the two had worked for him for more than four months and won his trust. He said that in March, the two had made him a business proposal promising very high profits if he opened a branch near Gadav Naka in Bhandup, which they claimed would commercially viable.

“I was very impressed with them. I opened a branch there and handed its daily running to them,” Pancharia said in his complaint. The accused ran the new shop for around two weeks, even reporting signs of good business.

On March 29, Pancharia realised the new shop was totally empty of stock and the duo were missing. “Their cellphones were switched off,” said senior police inspector Srirang Nadgauda of crime branch, unit VII.

Most of the stolen stock was also recovered from the spot. Vikram Singh, an accomplice who helped them transport the stock from the shop to the eatery, was also arrested.

During interrogation, the accused confessed that they had wanted to open a showroom of designer clothes in Pune, which they had planned to stock with goods stolen from showrooms across Mumbai. Their earlier targets included showrooms in Bhayandar, Mira Road and Nalasopara, using the same method.