Cops home in on pigeon thief

The residence of Ahmed Khalil Sayyed at Habiba Chawl, Qureshi Nagar in Kurla. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The Chunabhatti police have arrested a man for allegedly stealing 40 homing pigeons from an enthusiast and selling them at exorbitant rates in the market. They are yet to recover the avians, which are capable of finding their way home after travelling distances as vast as 1,500 km.

The pigeons were kept in a coop outside the home of the complainant, Ahmed Khalil Sayyed, 25, at Habiba Chawl, Kureshi Nagar in Kurla. According to the police, Sayyed bought the birds for his children and trained them as a hobby, and one such avian costs around Rs 2,700.

The arrested accused was identified as Mujjabil alias Jishan Waris Khan, 23, a resident of Shafilal Mohammad building at Kureshi Nagar in Kasaiwada, Kurla. The police said several FIRs have been registered against Khan at the Chunabhatti, Alibaug and Khopoli police stations.

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According to the police officials, the theft occurred on the night of November 7 when Khan and two others broke open the lock of the pigeon coop. The following morning, when Sayyed found out about what had taken place, he immediately informed the Chunabhatti police and registered a case of theft.

The home of the birds' owner, Ahmed Khalil Sayyed, who trained them as a hobby. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

PSI Sachin Sarade of the Chunabhatti police station told mid-day, "Khan kept all birds in a box and fled. He then sold the pigeons at high rates. We haven't found any but are tracing all the buyers. These pigeons are in high demand as they are capable of returning to their owner's home from any corner of the country."

Senior Inspector Anil Desai of the Chunabhatti police station said, "On Sunday, we nabbed Khan, who is a habitual offender and against whom dozens of theft cases have been filed. We have arrested the accused under Sections 379 (theft) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code."