Gang of senior citizens, who robbed small-time jewellery stores, busted

Three of the accused who have been arrested

Not part of the quiet retreating majority, a gang of senior citizens was busted last week for robbing small-time jewellery stores by distracting the owners or salesmen. The Kurar police on September 1 managed to arrest five of a gang of seven, which included three senior citizens when they attempted to rob a store in Malad east.

According to the police, the arrested accused have been identified as Gangu bai Pawar (60), Vithoba Mahipati Pawar (65), Vimal Rajendra Jadhav (60), Vasudeo Namdeo Shinde (22) and Vijay Vithoba Pawar (22). While two others managed to escape, the police has recovered the stolen jewellery worth Rs 1 lakh from the accused.

Modus operandi
The gang has 8 to 10 members, mostly senior citizen, who target small jewelry stores under the pretext of being customers and stealing when the salesperson was distracted. However, on the fateful day, as one of the members was attempting to steal a gold chain from the Paras Jewelry Shop in Malad east, the owner spotted it and immediately called for the police.

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"Before the accused could escape, a police team had reached the shop and detained the accused. However, two still managed to escape," said a police official from the Kurar police station.

Serial offenders
During the interrogation, not only did the accused confess to their crime, but also accepted that they were serial offenders with cases against them across the city, including Uran, Govandi, Colaba, MIDC, Andheri, Mira-Bhayandar, Diva, and more.

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All the accused hail from Pune and have been committing crimes for the last several years. They were even arrested in Pune and Navi Mumbai in the past.

Police says
"We have recovered the stolen jewelry from the accused which was worth about R1 lakh. After the arrest, they were produced before the court, which granted us one day's custody. During interrogation that day, they revealed that all the accused are habitual offenders with multiple cases against them in various police stations including in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Palghar district. Now, they have been sent to judicial custody and other police stations are in queue to take their custody," the official added.