29 October,2017 05:54 PM IST | Mumbai | Faisal Tandel
Photos of four of the six robbers taken from CCTV footage of robbery; police form multiple teams to nab culprits
The Navi Mumbai police are hot on the heels of a gang of dacoits who robbed an APMC trader's house earlier this week and escaped with valuables worth Rs 2.09 crore. The police have shared CCTV footage from the camera installed in the building with all police stations and have also made it viral on social media. They have now formed multiple teams to catch the culprits. Navi Mumbai Crime Branch officials, too, are carrying out a parallel probe.
The woman and the four men as captured by the CCTV camera
The robbery
The police said the robbery took place on Friday between noon and 12.15 pm when the accused, on the pretext of delivering a Diwali gift, entered the residence of Arun Menkundale at sector 17, Vashi. At the time of the incident, his wife and daughter were at home. They were threatened with a revolver and knife and the accused fled with cash and gold and silver ornaments worth Rs 2.09 crore.
CCTV captures all
The CCTV video that went viral clearly captured the image of the six accused, including a woman. "The footage shows how the woman was made to stand in front to deliver a gift-wrapped package. Before knocking on the door, four of the men hide near the staircase, while one man and the woman stand at the door. The man rings the bell and immediately wipes his fingerprints from the button. When the victims open the door, he takes the gift out of the bag the woman is holding and gives it to them. Seconds later, five men barge into the house and close the door, while the woman keeps a watch outside," said an officer from Vashi police station.
'Other leads not plausible'
Sources investigating the matter said the family had hired an agency to clean their house, but the police doubt they could be involved as the robbers seemed to know that valuables worth '2.09 crore were kept in the house. One of the two watchmen of the building said, "They came in a car and fled from the back gate. My colleague had noted down the number of the car, which we gave to the police."
Search operation
S Pathare, deputy commissioner of police, Vashi, said, "We have developed CCTV footage and based on that, we have launched a search operation. We are investigating from all angles." A case has been registered at Vashi police station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.
