Mumbai: Police continue search for mobile thief missing in Mahim Creek; body still missing

Alleged mobile thief identified as Danish Ansari. According to the police’s sources, the youth is a good swimmer

The Bandra police are still looking for the mobile thief who jumped into Mahim Creek and presumably drowned last week. The alleged thief, identified as Danish Ansari, 23, had snatched the phone of a college student while she was in an autorickshaw at a Bandra traffic signal. Ansari jumped into the creek after people started chasing him on hearing the girl's shouts for help. The police have now declared the accused as wanted but they are not sure if he is dead. Sources have told cops that the accused was a good swimmer.

The Bandra police took the help of CCTV footage from Bandra traffic signal to identify the accused, a resident of Nayanagar on the Mahim Sion Link Road at Mahim. Police sources told mid-day that the accused had been booked in two cases of mobile snatching and assault cases at Nirmal Nagar and Mahim police station in 2016 and 2017.

Ansari had snatched the phone of a 20-year-old student who was on her way to college from Bandra East to the West. Taking advantage of the red light at the traffic signal, Ansari, who is slim, swiftly moved among the vehicles, snatched the girl's mobile and fled. The student had chased him and shouted for help alerting locals who ran after Ansari. Chased by the public, Ansari reached Mahim Causeway bridge and as he feared being nabbed he placed the stolen mobile phone on the parapet wall of the bridge and plunged into Mahim Creek.

As Ansari was said to be a good swimmer he tried to swim to the shore. However, people who witnessed the incident saw him struggle in the heavy currents. Ansari allegedly drowned before he could reach the shore. The depth of Mahim Creek ranges from 20-25 feet, which can increase during high tide to 30-35 feet. Later, one of the locals dialled emergency number 100 and informed the police that a mobile thief drowned in Mahim Creek.

Bandra police reached the spot and alerted the fire brigade about the incident. The fire brigade team carried out a search in the Mahim Creek till late evening but didn't find Ansari. The student was traced by the Bandra police who registered an FIR based on the information provided by her. A police officer said, "We had registered an FIR under IPC Section 392 against the accused for snatching a mobile phone. The accused was subsequently identified with the help of CCTV footage as Ansari. The accused has not returned to his home since Friday."

The Bandra police have circulated a message to all police stations that Ansari is wanted in the mobile phone snatching case and he allegedly drowned in Mahim Creek. Bandra police is to be immediately informed if anyone receives information about Ansari's whereabouts or an Accidental Death Report (ADR) involving him is registered at a police station. The information could be provided to any of the officers, including senior police inspector Sanjay Marathe, API Bajrang Jagtap and API Vijay Achrekar.