Theft at Kothrud bungalow had a nine-year-old mastermind

SNEAKING IN: The two boys enter the bungalow by bending the window grills Leaving a trail behind: The police find muddy fingerprints on the window sill as the crime was committed on a rainy dayu00a0 Gotcha! The Kothrud police catch Shinde (24), with stolen booty worth Rs 5.28 lakh that included cellphones, a camera, gold and silver ornaments Illustrations/Jishu Dev MalakaR Not only did the minor plan the housebreak to perfection, he almost got away with the booty; his tiny footprints led cops to nab himWhat started off as a little boy's greed for guavas, led to a burglary. A nine-year-old, who allegedly masterminded a break-in at a bungalow in Mahatma Society, Kothrud, along with two other accomplices ufffd a 13-year old boy and a 24-year-old man ufffd was arrested in Kothrud yesterday.u00a0The police have recovered the entire booty stolen from the bungalow, collectively valued at Rs 5.28 lakh from the trio. The 24-year-old, Dnyaneshwar Shinde, is a resident ofu00a0 Gosavi Vasti in Kothrud. The 13-year-old boy studies in Std IX while the youngest of the three, the nine-year-old, is a Std V student. The police said that Shinde, who sells fire-fighting equipment, did not play a direct role in the robbery but helped the boys store the loot. Modus operandiLast Tuesday, on seeing the bungalow locked, the nine-year-old entered the frontyard to steal guavas, said the police. It was then he discovered that he could easily enter the house by bending the window grills. and conspired with his friends. The bungalow owner Kulkarni was out of the country for work. His wife had gone to her sister's house in Wadgaon Sheri that day, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Dnyaneshwar Phadtare. The boys tried to break the latch of the locked door, but did not succeed. However, they finally managed to enter the bungalow by bending the window grills.The incident came to light when Kulkarni's wife, Sadhana (55), returned. She noticed the break-in and lodged a police complaint. The muddy footprints and fingerprints around the garden and the window grills helped the police trace the suspects. Booty recoveredIt had rained heavily onu00a0 October 19. Their muddy footprints and fingerprints were all over the garden premises, said Phadtare. We have recovered valuables worth Rs 5.28 lakh comprising gold and silver ornaments, cellphones, and a camera from the accused, said Phadtare. The nine-year-old boy was the mastermind behind the crime, while Shinde has been arrested for possessing the stolen goods.