Notorious robber used slow movements as cover to steal from women on express trains; two jewellers from Zaveri Bazar also arrested
Mahesh Arun Ghag and the two jewellers arrested by the railway police
A trio involved in thefts targeting women on express trains since November has been arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRP). The prime accused, Mahesh Arun Ghag, 32, who walks with a limp, would steal purses, gold, and mobile phones before slipping away unnoticed. His accomplices, Tanaji Shivaji Mane, 45, and Nitin Kishan Yele, 44, jewellers from Zaveri Bazar, bought the stolen gold. A total of 108 grams of gold were recovered from them, worth over Rs 8.64 lakh.
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Explaining the modus operandi, Senior Inspector Vijay Khedkar of the Crime Branch said, “The suspect would walk slowly inside express trains at night, steal valuables at an unhurried pace, and then get down at Kalyan railway station in the same manner. The other two accused, gold jewellery dealers from Zaveri Bazar in south Mumbai, would buy the stolen gold jewellery from Mahesh.”
The entire operation was led by the Crime Branch Unit 3 of Kalyan under the GRP. Since November, the police had received three complaints from women passengers about missing purses, handbags, mobile phones, and gold ornaments. However, the thieves operated swiftly, disappearing without a trace, making it difficult for victims to identify them.
Two cases were registered at Vasai Road (GRP) and one with Kalyan GRP, following which the Crime Branch initiated an investigation. The primary accused, the one who was stealing from the train coaches, was the most difficult to identify as compared to the other two.
“It took weeks to identify a suspect because, initially, the CCTV footage from railway stations didn’t reveal anything suspicious. We then broadened our focus to include even seemingly ordinary individuals. That’s when we noticed a heavily built man present at all three locations at the time of the thefts,” said a police officer.
“The suspect turned out to be a nearly disabled man with a heavy build, walking with a limp. Even after stealing an entire bag from a victim, he moved slowly, making it unlikely for anyone to suspect him. That was his cover.”
The cops discovered that the suspect was a history-sheeter with multiple cases of similar robberies. Before the new wave of crimes began in November, the suspect—identified as Mahesh, also known as Vicky—had been lodged in jail. The primary accused, Vicky, was found with cash that he made selling gold and other items, along with two Apple Iphones worth Rs 90,000.
Police officials added that Vicky suffers from a serious ailment in his leg and is in constant need of money, which is one of the key reasons he continues to steal valuables. Railway stations and trains are his primary areas of operation, particularly trains, as they have fewer CCTV cameras inside. Khedkar further stated that in newer trains, CCTV cameras installed at the entry points near the doors played a crucial role in helping the police track down Vicky and bust his criminal activities.
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