30 September,2015 06:51 AM IST | | Sagar Rajput
The thieves had broken into a jewellery shop at Mulund, which is just 50 metres from a police chowkie, and stole 9 kg gold on Sept 20
The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested the gang that stole jewellery worth Rs 2.72 crore from a shop at Mulund (east). mid-day had reported the incident, âThieves strike thrice in nine months just 50 metres from police chowkie' (Sept 22).
The mastermind had rented an apartment in the building next to the shop, Suvarnakar, and even sold coconut water nearby to observe it. The cops alleged that he even served coconut water to the policemen posted at a chowkie nearby, to study their movements.
Last week police officials arrested Sujol Maqbool Shaikh (32), Hasan Nasir Hussain Shaikh (27), Firoz Gohar Ali Shaikh (37) and a woman, Sajda Asadool Shaikh (35) while the mastermind, Mohammad Humayun Shaikh (30) and two other accused are still at large.
Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Surve from Crime Branch Unit 7 said, "Two gangs had come together to commit this crime. One gang consisted of Sujol, Hasan and Firoz while the other gang was headed by Mohammad and had the other two absconders. One gang has been traced and nabbed. Through them we have recovered some money and 4.25 kg gold."
The mastermind Mohammad had rented an apartment at Mangalmurti building, which is about 50 metres from the shop. Surve added, "The mastermind had been selling coconut water just outside the beat chowkie and studied both the shop owner's and the cops' movements. After this they decided to strike between 2 am and 5 am. They mainly struck during the rains and on September 20 it was raining heavily."
After the crime, the entire gang went to the rented apartment, which was next to the shop and distributed the booty amongst themselves. "The three arrested accused got Rs 1.5 lakh and 4.25 kg gold after the distribution. This gold was recovered. These three accused had gone to a woman named Sajda in Kalyan and kept the stolen property at her residence, for which they even paid her. But when the trio returned after spending money at dance bars, they realised that Sajda had fled with the jewellery they had stolen," said Surve.
The very next day, the trio were nabbed by the Crime Branch officials. Following this, police nabbed Sajda from Kalyan after tracking her cell phone location. "The woman was about to escape to her hometown in Murshidabad in West Bengal, but she was nabbed from Kalyan station along with the booty," added Surve.
