Mumbai: Cops net spidermen who robbed homes in suburbs

Usha Villa Society in Santacruz where the duo robbed an electrical contractor’s house

The Santacruz police have arrested two pipe-climbing burglars who got the moniker ‘spidermen' as they are adept at scaling tall buildings using drainage pipes and sneaking into flats through bathroom windows.

The lean physique of the robbers identified as Sunny Chand Pawar, 27, and Rahul Sadashiv Mudani, 20, helped them conduct the risky heists, said cops.

An officer privy to the investigation told mid-day that over a dozen housebreaking cases are registered against them across police stations in Mumbai.

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The robbers have conducted their risky heists mostly in the western suburbs--Versova, DN Nagar, Santacruz, Andheri and other police stations--where affluent people reside.

Recce conducted

The robbers would conduct recces immediately after sunset to see if lights were switched on inside flats.

The ‘spidermen' Rahul Sadashiv Mudani; (right) Sunny Chand Pawar

"No lights would mean the residents are away. The duo would watch these flats for three to four days at a stretch to see if there was any movement in the flat. After they were sure that there was no one at home, they would check for an easy way to enter the building and later scale the drainage pipes to break into the flats through the bathroom windows," said the officer.

Pawar is a garbage-seller while Mudani is a nullah cleaner and they are both residents of Andheri West. "Both are slim, which makes it easy for them to sneak into flats through bathroom windows," said the police.

Case that led to arrest

A similar incident took place on May 4 at Usha Villa Society at Linking Road, Santacruz West, where the robbers scaled the drainage pipes and entered one of the flats on the second floor and decamped with valuables. "It was the flat of an electrical contractor Sunil Bajaj, 66, who owns two flats on the second floor. The Bajaj family was sleeping in one flat the night the robbers broke into the other flat," said an officer privy to the investigation.

The duo stole valuables worth R1.50 lakh. "They stole 15kg of silver, including 20 silver glasses, one silver jug, 12 silver bowls and three silver dishes," said the police.

The next morning, the Bajaj family was alarmed to see their flat ransacked and approached Santacruz police station where a First Information Report (FIR) was registered.

Under the guidance of DCP Krishnakant Upadhyay, Senior Inspector Rajendra Kane formed a team of PI Mahesh Bolkotgi, PI Arun Ghodke, PSI Dhananjay Awhad, constable Naitaji Kamble, Juber Saldurkar, Rahul Parab, Bhatu Mahajan and Mestri.

CCTV helped

During investigation, the cops recovered CCTV footage in which the duo was seen on the society premises and their movement was suspicious. "Since both of them are habitual offenders, it took us no time to nail them from Veera Desai Road," said an officer.

Mudani and Pawar were arrested under the various sections of the IPC. The police said they are involved in many similar theft cases.''

A couple of years ago, Mudani was arrested by the Versova police in a similar offence, said the officer.