16 August,2016 05:00 PM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
On Sunday, a pickpocket was arrested at Kurla station in Mumbai, who used to threaten victims with a blade hidden in his mouth. Here’s a look at other bizarre methods robbers have adopted in recent times
On Sunday, a pickpocket was arrested at Kurla station in Mumbai, who used to threaten victims with a blade hidden in his mouth. Here's a look at other bizarre methods robbers have adopted in recent times.
With his BMW and well-to-do appearance, Irfan Farooq Memon (left) never drew any suspicion. His part-time chauffeurs, Anwar (centre) and Nazir (right), would drive him to posh hotels and bars, where he would break into the cars of patrons and steal laptops, music systems and other belongings
Thief entered hotels in BMW, broke into parked cars: In December 2015, the 33-year-old son of an affluent businessman, who would be driven around in his white BMW as he committed thefts at posh hotels and bars to fund his drug habit, was arrested. He is thought to be involved in over 70 such cases. Always dressed impeccably and driven about by a chauffeur, the accused never drew any suspicion until the cops caught up with his two drivers, who also got a share of the spoils. (Read More)
Pankaj Hazarika's co-passengers gave him Pepsi and chips, which he suspects sedated him. Pic/Rajesh Gupta
Man shares food with co-passengers on train, is drugged, robbed: The last thing this retired Navy officer travelling on a Mumbai-bound train in May 2016 remembers before he fell asleep, is sharing some food with his co-passengers - two Army men and an Air Force officer. He then woke up in a hospital, robbed of his money and his valuables. The 54-year-old was unconscious for nearly 24 hours and was found near railway tracks in Ghatkopar. The accused had travelled some distance with him as co-passengers before robbing him. (Read More)
Kamat would approach people claiming to offer them jobs, and would then use their documents to get jobs at posh houses through maid agencies. Pics/Rajesh Gupta
Women worked as maids to gain employers' trust, stole from them: In December 2015, two women were held for conning people by working as their maids and then stealing from them. Powai and Mulund police arrested Vaijanti Moreshwar Kamat and Sujata Wadekar. While Wadekar had approached the complainant on her own, Kamat would approach agencies that offer maids for hire, and impersonate other women to get the job. Kamat was inspired by the TV serial Savdhan India, and developed her modus operandi after watching it. (Read More)
Swindlers take man on temple tour, loot Rs 1.5 lakh: In December 2015, two swindlers allegedly looted a senior citizen in Charkop of Rs 1.5 lakh after hypnotising him while going around temples to make donations. The thieves had approached the victim on the pretext of getting directions to the temples. The victim, 68-year-old Michael Demello, a real estate businessman and a Charkop resident, lost two gold rings and a chain worth Rs 1.5 lakh. The incident took place on December 5 at 12.15 pm when Demello was near Charkop bus depot, on his way to meet a friend. (Read More)
Hajara Munir Radanpura
Woman hid behind burkha to steal necklaces worth Rs 18 lakh: Jewellery designer Kavita Gogna filed a complaint with Bandra police station on September 24, 2015 saying three gold necklaces worth Rs 18 lakh had been stolen by one Rashida. The burkha-clad woman duped the Delhi-based designer and made off with the necklaces. While the cops were unable to identify her because of the veil, they learnt that she had also attempted to dupe a jewellery store in Bandra using the same modus operandi. She was arrested in October 2015, and was identified as Hajara Munir Radanpura. (Read More)
Serial conman Kishore Subramanian Maddali (61) returned any documents he found in the bags of those he had robbed
61-year-old conman robs foreigners, sends passports back: In October 2015, the Government Railway Police (GRP) arrested a 61-year-old who would cheat foreigners and NRIs by befriending them, only to flee with their valuables. The accused has been identified as Kishore Subramanian Maddali (61). Interestingly, whenever Maddali found any important documents in the victims' bags, he would return it to them. In a case involving Saudi Arabian resident Devidasan Shivram Sonari, Maddali returned his passport. Sonari's bag and valuables had been stolen by Maddali when he was about to board the Mangalore Express on August 16; he had also lost his passport. But Maddali traced his address from the Saudi embassy and returned Sonari's passport to his address in Mangalore. (Read More)
