Mumbai: Vapi locals steal gold chain worth Rs 1.50 lakh from Vile Parle resident

Bhaumik Trivedi and Shahid Kapadia

Over the past few years, an increase in the number of thieves coming to Mumbai from other states, especially from Gujarat, has been observed by the police. One such case was detected in Vile Parle where two snatchers who hail from Vapi, Bhaumik Trivedi, 38, and Shahid Kapadia, 34, were nabbed after they snatched a gold chain from the neck of a 68-year-old Vile Parle local on the evening of April 3.

With the help of CCTV footage, the police caught the duo this week.

According to a police source, the duo targeted the woman outside the gate of her residence. The victim was heading to a dental clinic at the time of the incident. The accused sped away with the chain, which is worth about Rs 1.50 lakh, on a bike. "The incident was reported to the Vile Parle police and under the guidance of Dixit Gedam, DCP (Zone 8), Senior Inspector Sanjay Narvekar formed a team and caught the accused at Vapi on May 2," said an officer.

Also Read: Mumbai Crime: Duo held for house theft in Borivali, valuables recovered

During the investigation, it was revealed the duo are repeat offenders and multiple cases have been registered against them in Ahmedabad and Vapi. "They used to come to Mumbai to commit crimes and had a unique modus operandi," a police officer said.

"They would first steal a bike, use it to commit crimes, ditch it and take an auto or taxi to get to the railway station, where they would board a Gujarat-bound train. For this particular crime, the accused used a bike that was stolen from Mira Road," the officer added.

In recent years, the Kasturba Marg, Borivli and Dahisar police have seen many such accused who visit the city with the intention of committing crimes.