Mumbai: Raigad's famous 'spider chor' caught by Dahisar cops

The Dahisar police have arrested a notorious thief, whom they had dubbed 'spider chor', who used to break into high-rises in the city. The thief, identified as Ali Mohammed Chand Mohammed Sheikh alias Raju Sakaharam Marchde, 30, from Raigad, used to conduct a recce of the flats in the daytime and scale the pipes to get to them at night. After breaking into a flat in Dahisar in June, Ali had gone into hiding. The police found him at Mangaon on Monday.

Ali Mohammed Sheikh

On June 6, a housebreaking case was reported in Nancy Colony in Dahisar. Items worth lakhs were stolen, including a mobile phone. The Dahisar police, who were probing the theft, traced the last location of the phone to Mangaon in Raigad. A team led by Police Sub-Inspector Harish Pol took the help of residents, who told the cops about an unknown person living in village for the past few months. Within a few hours, the police arrested Ali.

Also Read: Mumbai Crime: Dhoom-Style Serial Bag Snatcher Finally Nabbed By Police

According to the cops, Ali was a cabbie in the daytime. While driving he used to do a recce of high-rises, zeroing in on those with closed windows. During one such recce, he spotted the Dahisar flat.

"On June 1, he entered the flat on the third floor with the help of a sewage pipe, through the toilet window. But, when he entered, he found someone inside and ran away. On June 6, Ali again went to the flat and found it empty. He then stole property worth R10.50 lakh," said DCP (Zone 12) Dr Vinay Rathod. He kept the mobile phone that he had stolen from the flat active for a few days, which helped the cops trace him.

Also Read: Mumbai Businessman Looted Of Rs 69,000, Thief Leaves A Clue With Selfie

"Ali is a habitual offender and has broken his legs several times during such thefts," an officer said. The cops have also arrested Arif Rahim Sheikh, 32, who helped Ali sell the stolen items and Sheikh Nausar Subhedar Ali, 46, a jeweller who bought the stolen booty from Ali.

Also view - Genitals chopped off, private parts mutilated: 11 gruesome crime cases