Mumbai Crime: Trio who stole food from shops and sold it to smaller stores arrested

The thieves after their arrest. Pic/Hanif Patel

The Virar police have arrested a group of thieves who used to steal food items from grocery shops and sell them to other shops for cheap prices. The arrested accused have been identified as Rakesh Yadav, 37, Rakesh Kadam, 23, and Vikaskumar Dube, 36.

The police said the trio are habitual thieves of food, stealing onions, potatoes, garlic, spices, dry fruit and grains from shops and sell them at cheap prices to small shops in the slums of Palghar and Mumbai.

During investigation, it was found that the accused would survey shops in areas where they could break into the stores and godowns at night and escape after loading the goods in a tempo they brought along.

Last month they stole 60 sacks of garlic from a shop in Virar. When the police scanned CCTV footage of the area, they got the tempo's number plate and later with the help of a local informer, got details about the accused. The trio was caught on Monday from three different places in Nalasopara and Virar.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to eight thefts committed in recent months in Virar. They also confessed to more than 40 robberies in Nalasopara, Thane and Mumbai.

"Under supervision of Additional Superintendent of police Prashant Vaghunde and SDPO Renuka Bagde; Senior Inspector Suresh Varade and Detection Officer Abhijeet Telor caught the accused and seized their vehicle. They also recovered the stolen property," said an officer from Virar police station.