Mumbai: Week later, Bihar school students arrested for drugging Khar family

Shatrughan Kumar and Neeraj Yadav, who posed as domestic help to dupe the Zaveri family

The Khar police on Sunday arrested two individuals who drugged a family in Khar and escaped to Bihar with Rs 2.5 crore worth of diamonds. Police stated that the accused had created fake Aadhar cards to work as a house help at a Khar bungalow. The police have recovered the diamonds; the accused had hidden them in Bihar. The accused have been identified as Rajkumar Ramchandra Mondol, also known as Shatrughan or Rajkumar, 19, and Neeraj Vinod Yadav, also known as Raja Yadav, 19, both residents of Bihar and are also students of Std X. Police revealed that Yadav had previously been arrested by Kalachowki police last year for employing the same modus operandi, drugging a family and escaping with cash and jewellery from the house.

The police suspect that a third person, identified as ‘Mukhiya,' who had previously been arrested by DN Nagar police for house robbery, may be involved in the crime. The Khar police are transporting them from Patna airport to Mumbai via flight. Both accused will be produced in court on Monday.

The bungalow where the Zaveri family resides at Khar West

The complainant, Sunita Zaveri, resides at Zaveri house in Khar West. On February 11, both accused mixed sleeping pills into the food which they served to the Zaveri family. Later that night, they robbed the house and escaped. According to police, Yadav is the mastermind behind the robbery, having planned it with the other accused, Mondol. Mukhiya facilitated the entry of both accused into the Zaveri house by contacting the family's car driver, Santosh Roy.

A police source informed mid-day that, "Yadav used the same modus operandi to plan this robbery previously. The accused submitted a fake Aadhaar card to the Zaveri family to conceal his true identity. On February 11, both accused mixed sleeping pills into the dinner."

After dinner, complainant Zaveri, her daughter, maid, and relative all fell asleep. In the morning, they woke up vomiting, and upon inspection, they found their lockers broken and the house in disarray. They immediately informed the Khar police and filed an FIR.

A police source told mid-day that, "Accused revealed that they committed the crime and mixed sleeping pills into dinner. They also knew about the family keeping diamonds in the house as they are running the jewellery business and own a jewellery shop."