Mumbai: Three bike-borne men rob Wadala residents of Rs 30,000 at knifepoint, arrested

The three accused have been held following a joint operation by Matunga and Antop Hill Police.

The Matunga Police in Mumbai have arrested three people for allegedly robbing two Wadala-based residents while they were buying vegetables in Dadar on December 14.

According to police, the accused have been identified as Arbaz Nasir Shaikh alias Babulal, 18, who is employed as a street vendor; Mohammad Rafiq Siddiqui, 20, a delivery boy; and 22-year-old Faizan Jamadar, who sells mobile covers. All the accused all residents of Antop Hill, Wadala.

On the day of the incident, the complainant - Mala Parashuram Giri and his friend Somnath Mahadev Londhe - were walking towards Five Gardens, Wadala, around 5 am to buy vegetables when the three accused approached them on a two-wheeler. They allegedly pointed a knife at Giri and Londhe and threatened to stab them if they did not hand over their valuables to the accused. They allegedly snatched Rs 25,000 from Giri and Rs 5,000 from Londhe, before fleeing the scene.

The duo approached Matunga Police to register an offence against the accused.

Following the complaint, the Matunga and Antop Hill Police formed a team to investigate the matter. After extensive technical analysis, including accessing CCTV camera footage from the area, they managed to track down the three accused within 24 hours of registering the first information report (FIR), police officers said on Monday. The police have so far recovered Rs 6,000, a knife, and a scooty used in the crime from the accused.

Shaikh, Siddiqui, and Jamadar have been booked for robbery under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.