8 held for stealing truck full of buffaloes

MUMBAI: Eight people have been arrested by the Crime Branch Unit 5 for stealing a truck full of buffaloes, when the truck was on its way to Mumbai from Solapur.

MUMBAI: Eight people have been arrested by the Crime Branch Unit 5 for stealing a truck full of buffaloes, when the truck was on its way to Mumbai from Solapur.

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According to the police officers, a dealer from Govandi identified as Neejam Sardar Qureshi had ordered for 31 buffaloes from Solapur and while the driver and the cleaner were on their way to Mumbai via Murbad, eight individuals accosted the truck near Kishor village on Murbad Road and fled with it.

An officer from the crime branch, requesting anonymity, said, “The incident took place on May 3 when the truck had reach Kishor village at Murbad road and the eight accused assaulted the two and fled with the truck. The dealer then registered a case with the local police and told them he suspected his driver and cleaner.”

The duo was arrested by the Murbad police without even investigating the matter. The police later received information that a Faraz Mohommad Vakil Qureshi was involved in the crime.

After the accused was taken into custody for inquiry, they confessed and revealed the names of other accused. They have been identified as Abdul Raheem Munna Khan, Mohommad Salim Qureshi, Faraz Mohommad Vakil Qureshi, Asif Anwar Mulla, Sherali alias Sameer Abdul Sataar Chaudhary, Asif Akhbar Shaikh, Shabbir Shahbaaz Shaikh and Ajju Shabbir Shaikh are residents of Govandi, Kurla Navi Mumbai and Talasari in Palghar. The officer said, “The mastermind of the case, Faraz, is the complainant’s nephew. He had the latest update on the truck’s movement, which was passed on to the other accused, who then executed the plan.”

The police have recovered the truck while the accused claimed they sold 28 buffaloes to an Aurangabad-based businessman for Rs1.5 lakh. “The complainant in his statement alleged he had paid Rs3 lakh to buy those buffaloes and at the time of selling, the accused claimed that off the 31, 3 had died.”