Mumbai Crime: Suicide attempt to scare police lands thief behind bars again

Zahid Lohar was escorted back to the lock-up after a check-up at JJ hospital. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

Zahid Lohar was escorted back to the lock-up after a check-up at JJ hospital. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

One of the accused arrested for stealing car stereo systems, attempted suicide on Thursday in the lock-up of Mulund police station. While the police feel it was a scare tactic so they wouldn't seek the trio's custody further, they have registered a case of attempt to suicide against the accused, who is back in the lock-up after discharge from JJ Hospital in Byculla. mid-day had reported their arrest, 'Trio lands behind bars for stealing car music players' (December 29).'

The Mulund police had arrested Kadar Shaikh, Zahid Lohar and Zuber Khan on December 25 for stealing music systems from cars in Mulund. The police had seized a WagonR from them and around 61 music systems. One of the accused, Zahid on Thursday tried to commit suicide, around 8 pm when a police constable saw him. He tried to hang himself by one of the rods in the lock up with a shirt sleeve. "He was trying to scare us by attempting suicide but it was with the plan that when they were produced in court on Thursday, we wouldn't ask for further custody fearing their tactics," said a police official from Mulund police station.

The police immediately took Zahid to JJ Hospital from where he was discharged on Friday. The police also took the trio into custody till Saturday. The police said Zahid used to come from Pune to steal music systems in the city. In Mulund police station alone they have around 68 cases registered against them. The trio are an inter-state gang. They would break the glass windows of cars and flee with the music systems. If they visited a city once they would steal at least seven to eight music systems.