Mumbai: Woman helps cops arrest criminal son

CCTV footage of the accused sneaking up on the complainant. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

The Vishnu Nagar police on Monday were moved by the actions of an underprivileged woman who turned in her son on learning he had snatched a gold chain from an 85-year-old. The police, who had been examining CCTV footage of the incident, were startled when the accused's mother not only helped identify him but also took the cops to her home to nab him.

The senior citizen, Kamala Choudhary, ventured out for a walk around 7.30 am on Monday. When she reached Devi Chowk, Dombivli West, a young man emerged from behind, snatched her mangalsutra - which is worth Rs 40,000 - and fled. Choudhary, who sustained an injury on her leg, approached the Vishnu Nagar police station at 11.30 am to register a complaint against the snatcher.

After examining footage from CCTV cameras along Choudhary's route, the police zeroed in on a person in a yellow shirt and Capri pants. Choudhary confirmed that he was the perpetrator. The cops then circulated the footage across police stations.

Kanu Raju Waghri

"We formed a team to track down the accused and during the investigation, a person revealed that he was a Phule Nagar resident. When the cops reached the locality, they came across an elderly woman, Tanibai Raju Waghri, around 5.30 pm. When the cops showed her the footage, she immediately identified the man as her son Kanu," said Pandharinath Bhalerao, senior inspector, Vishnu Nagar police station.

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"Our team was dumbstruck when Tanibai asked why we were inquiring about Kanu. The cops replied that had he met with an accident, but she said he was at home. The cops then broke it to her that he had snatched a mangalsutra, which infuriated her. She immediately took the cops to her home," Bhalerao added.

Kanu, 30, told the cops that his wife had undergone surgery a couple of months ago, which exhausted his savings of Rs 40,000. "His flower business had apparently been hampered due to the lockdown and he decided to snatch chains to make ends meet," said a police officer. The cops have recovered the mangalsutra while Waghri has been sent to police custody by a court.

Tanibai told mid-day, "It's true that we are in need of money, but should this drive someone to commit crime? I was shocked to learn that my son had snatched the mangalsutra of an elderly woman, causing her injuries. It is really unfortunate. I can't say anything else."