15 August,2020 08:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah Khan
This picture has been used for representational purposes
The Malad police arrested a key member of a gang that stole cheques from the drop boxes of banks and would withdraw money using the same cheques in the other banks. The man, identified as Harikrishna Shivraam Shethy alias Anu Shethy (34), he was arrested from a cemetery in Kurla, while other members of the gang are still at large.
According to the police, Shethy, a resident of Jogeshwari, stole cheques from various banks, withdrew the money and transferred the amount into accounts of other banks as per the direction from his gang leader. He would get 10 to 15 per cent commission from the amount of the stolen cheque, an officer from Malad police station said.
On July 2, a cheque of Rs 1.25 lakh of complainant Kaushik Dave was stolen from a State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Malad. According to the police, Dave had signed and submitted the cheque to the bank officer for the fixed deposit. One of the gang members stole the cheque from the officer's table the same day.
After Dave filed a complaint with the Malad police station, the police initiated a probe and while checking the bank's CCTV footage, they spotted two of the gang members stealing the cheque.
ALSO READ
After 23 years, court acquits man accused of robbery in Thane
Mumbai Crime branch busts bogus loan scam, arrests two key accused
Senior citizen kills self after jumping into lake in Thane
Thane woman booked for abetting husband's suicide
Mumbai: Malad Police uncover mobile theft racket, two arrested
They found out that a few days later Shethy had deposited the cheque in his account with an SBI branch in Andheri. The police got Shethy's address and contact details from the Andheri branch. When they visited the address, he was not at home. When they tried to contact him on his mobile number, it was switched off. The police then traced his contact number's call data records to Kurla where he was found to be working in a cemetery as a helper.
During interrogation, he confessed to have committed the crime and revealed the name of other gang members. The police said that similar cases have been registered in the police stations where such crimes were executed. Another police officer said that Shethy was arrested under Section 419, 420, and 467 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and was produced before the court where he was remanded to police custody till August 17.
Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
