Mumbai: Chance pe dance lands casual robbers in soup

Pradeep Gupta catches up with Sonu and pushes him to the ground in a bid to recover the valuables

The Dindoshi police have arrested four auto drivers who made off with a bag containing gold and cash worth Rs 10 lakh in total that a burglar had abandoned while being chased by Malad East residents. Police said the pursuers were so focused on getting hold of the man that they didn't keep track of the bag. Later on, after scanning CCTV footage, the cops learnt that the bag was stolen by a group of auto drivers who were traced to Nalasopara and promptly arrested.

Shafiqullah Ateequllah aka Sonu, the thief who abandoned the bag

The thief, Shafiqullah Ateequllah alias Sonu, 27, and auto drivers Rajkumar Sevaram Mangaliya, 46; Abbas Asgar Zarwala, 57; Ashfaq Abdulgani Shaikh, 48; and Imamuddin Yakub Patel, 51; were produced before the Borivli Metropolitan Magistrate court and remanded in police custody.

How everything unfolded

Sonu and an associate stole the valuables from a house in Squatters' Colony, Malad East in the wee hours of Wednesday. While the duo was trying to sneak away hastily with their booty, a resident, Pradeep Gupta, 25, happened to come out of his house. After spotting them and suspecting something was amiss, he started crying, "Chor" to alert his neighbours.

Malad East resident Pradeep Gupta spots the burglars as they are about to flee early on Wednesday morning

The duo then ran towards the main road. Gupta, who had woken up early as his family prepared to travel to their hometown, said, "After the duo started running, I chased them. They eventually reached the spot where their Activa was parked. One of them tried to start the vehicle while the other [Sonu], who was carrying the stolen valuables tried to hop on. As the rider sped away, the pillion rider fell off. But he got up and began to run again. I pushed him to the ground and a couple of auto drivers beat him, but he managed to slip away after throwing the bag on the road."

Shafiqullah Ateequllah aka Sonu falls to the ground as his partner in crime accelerates his Activa in a panic

Gupta said, "While I was pursuing him a bundle of notes fell from his pocket, I picked it up and resumed chasing him. The accused escaped into a tiny lane and was soon out of sight. Suddenly I heard the ringtone of a mobile phone coming from somewhere. I headed in the direction of the sound and caught the accused again. He tried to escape, but this time I held on to him tight. He tried to hit me and we collided into a water drum outside a house. My brother and a neighbour then arrived and helped me overpower the accused."

Gupta catches up with Sonu after the latter takes to his heels and pushes him to the ground in a bid to recover the valuables

He added, "The phone that rang in his pocket was stolen from the house along with other valuables. Hearing my voice, the family woke up and learned about the burglary in their house. They were calling the missing phone during the chase."

Policy story

Under the guidance of Smita Patel DCP, Zone 12, and Senior Inspector Irfan Shaikh, API Dr Chandrakant Gharge, PSI Ajeet Desai, Satish Bhalerao, and the rest of the detection team began the investigation.

A wad of notes falls from Sonu's pocket. As Gupta bends to picket up, the thief hides in a narrow lane

"When we arrested the accused, Rs 75 in cash was recovered from his pocket, but the bag containing the valuables and cash was missing. On examining CCTV footage, we came to know that an auto driver, Rajkumar Mangaliya, had taken the bag and fled. We traced him and caught him in Nalasopara. We recovered the bag from him," said an officer from Dindoshi police station.

Having thrown away the bag during the chase, Sonu puts up a fight but is eventually overpowered. In the chaos, a rickshaw driver flees with the bag but is captured by CCTV footage

The Dindoshi police, aided by CCTV footage, found out the auto driver's identity through his vehicle's number plate. Subsequently, with the assistance of the Regional Transport Office (RTO), they found out his residential address. Further investigation led to the apprehension of other auto drivers implicated in the crime. On their arrest, the police checked the bag and found cash and jewellery inside. The drivers had exchanged numbers and planned to divide the property equally among themselves.

The Dindoshi police nab the auto driver and his accomplices with whom he had conspired to split the booty. Illustrations/Uday Mohite

The four auto drivers are friends. During the inquiry, it was revealed Sonu is a Dharavi resident and five cases of burglary had been registered against him. Appreciating the bravery with which Gupta had caught the thief, he was honoured with a shawl and bouquet at the Dindoshi police station.

Pradeep Gupta, who foiled the burglar's scheme on Wednesday morning

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No of accused arrested in case