Mumbai Crime: Auto driver arrested from Uttar Pradesh for stealing IT engineer's bag

Representative image. Pic/Istock

The Bandra police have arrested an auto-rickshaw driver who allegedly fled to Uttar Pradesh after stealing a bag of a woman in Mumbai.

The woman who works as an IT engineer in Bangalore visited Mumbai last month to meet her sister.

The arrested auto-rickshaw driver has been identified as Panchu Yadav (34). Yadav was arrested by a team of Bandra police from Kashi in Uttar Pradesh on Friday.

According to police sources, the complaint identified as Rucha Soman had kept her bag containing a laptop, gold and diamond jewelry, mobile phone, and cash worth about rupees six lakh in an auto and reached her sister's building.

After getting down, Soman kept her sack bag on the road and was preparing to remove the hand-carry bag from the auto-rickshaw, during which Yadav fled away with the auto.

"After the incident, Soman rushed to the Bandra police station and registered a case of bag theft," said an officer.

Also Read: Four days after SC order, activist Navlakha yet to be placed under house arrest

Under the guidance of Assistant Commissioner Gunaji Sawant a team of Assistant Inspectors Bajrang Jagtap, and his staff began the investigation.

During the investigation, the team examined 40 CCTV footage from the area. In one of the footage, they trace the auto number and reached the auto owner in the Vakola area. After reaching out to the auto owner, the police received information that Yadav was driving that auto and he urgently went to his native for some work.

"While Yadav's mobile number was switched off, the complaint's phone number was reachable. With the help of CDR and the current location, a police team reached Kashi in Uttar Pradesh," the officer added.

"Yadav was living with his in-laws. During the investigation, we came to know that Yadav's wife often visited a ration shop to purchase food items. With the help of a shop owner, the police worked in the shop for three to four days as shopkeepers and caught Yadav's wife. Further, with her help, we caught Yadav from one of the Ghats near Kashi Mandir and recovered the bag from him," the police officer said.

"We have recovered the entire jewelry and valuables including the laptop and mobile phone. He is brought to Mumbai on Friday," said another officer

"Yadav was produced before the court on Saturday, the court remanded him police custody," the officer added.