Mumbai: Thief who broke into police quarters arrested

A screen grab of CCTV showing Shaikh covering his hands while trying to break into a home

The Mahim police on Tuesday arrested a burglar who broke into 15 houses in the police residential quarters located at Mahim. Kamaruddin Sallauddin Shaikh, 40, has told the police that he was unaware he was committing the theft in police quarters. "He barged into the quarters completely unaware that police reside here and stole silver items worth Rs 13,000," said an officer.

The officer added that Shaikh has a criminal record criminal and the police traced him as he did not cover his face and was caught breaking into homes on CCTV footage. "He barged into several houses looking to steal expensive items. However, he couldn't find anything apart from the silver items he stole from one house," the officer said. According to Mahim police, Shaikh broke the locks of more than 15 houses using a screwdriver.

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Kamaruddin Sallauddin Shaikh in police custody

"He had a criminal background and used a handkerchief to cover his hands so that no fingerprints were left at the scene. However, he forgot to cover his face," said an officer from Mahim police. The Mahim police registered an FIR on August 17. He was identified from the CCTV footage and traced to Kurla. "We used the CCTV footage and traced him through technical investigation. We nabbed him on August 20," the officer said.

According to the police, Shaikh has eight cases registered against him at police stations across the city, including Kurla, Kherwadi, Dindoshi and Antop Hill. Shaikh has been booked under Sections 305 (theft in dwelling house), 331 (lurking in house), and 332 (trespassing) of BNS and has been granted police custody till August 28.