01 August,2016 08:00 AM IST | | Vijay Kumar Yadav
They burgled Chheda Stores, located in Matunga East opposite the station. The incident came to light after a sweeper and paanwala spotted the broken lock of the store’s shutter, early on Sunday morning
Sunday morning's intermittent showers opened a window of opportunity for two thieves. They burgled Chheda Stores, located in Matunga East opposite the station, and fled with almost Rs 9 lakh in cash, along with a hefty iron safe.
At 5.15 am, a burglar armed with metallic tools enters Chheda Stores in Matunga. With the help of his tools, he pries open the drawers and starts collecting the cash inside
The incident came to light after a sweeper and paanwala spotted the broken lock of the store's shutter at around 5.45 am. They informed a few of the store staffers, who then informed the owner. The owners called the Matunga police.
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At 5.15 am, a burglar armed with metallic tools enters Chheda Stores in Matunga. With the help of his tools, he pries open the drawers and starts collecting the cash insideAt 5.15 am, a burglar armed with metallic tools enters Chheda Stores in Matunga. With the help of his tools, he pries open the drawers and starts collecting the cash inside
Yash Chheda, son of the storeowner and the complainant in the case, said, "The thieves were well aware of the location of the safe and came prepared. This is how they managed to carry out the entire crime in just 10 minutes."
The thief tries to flee with the 25-30 kg safe, but is unable to lift it. He goes out and calls his partner and they pick up the safe and take all the cash - amounting to Rs 9 lakh
Chheda Store is around 30 years old and is divided in two sections - general store and dry fruits. The incident took place in the general store section.
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It is now 5.25 am and the thieves have fled with the cash and the safe, unaware that the CCTV camera has recorded their early morning heist. Illustration/Ravi Jadhav
Case registered
Police are not ruling out the involvement of an insider or former employee. They have registered a case under Sections 379 (theft), 457 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night to commit offence) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. Cops are also probing if the incident is linked with a burglary that took place in the same area nearly four years ago. "We have collected the CCTV footage from inside and outside the store," said B Kakad, senior inspector of Matunga police station.
