Mira Bhayandar: Less than a fortnight after they broke into a showroom in Nallasopara and decamped with gold and silver ornaments worth more than Rs.15.27 lakh, three members of a notorious gang were arrested by the crime branch unit (Zone III) for their involvement in the break-in.
According to the police, the gang had gained access into Nakoda Jewellers-an ornament showroom by breaking open the shutter in the intervening night between 15 and 16 May. Alarmed by a sudden spike in cases of thefts and house break-ins in the region, the crime branch unit was roped in to conduct parallel investigations and nab the culprits at the earliest.
Based on the images captured by closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras at the crime spot and possible getaway routes, a team led by police inspector-Pramod Badhaakh got hold of sketchy clues related to the identity of the suspects.
On the virtue of inputs provided by informers and electronic surveillance, the team apprehended three people identified as- Mohammed Shahid Allauddin Khan (44), Shankar Manju Gowda (49) and Shamshud Doha Raees Qureshi (33).
Apart from tools which were used for breaking open shutters and mobile phones, the team also seized a Bolero jeep which the gang used to travel from one place to another by changing number plates to recce areas for identifying potential targets.
The gang had committed similar offences in Mumbai, Thane, Dombivli, Bhiwandi and even Karnataka. An offence under sections 457 (house housebreaking by night to commit offence) and 380 (theft) of the IPC has been registered against the trio who were remanded to custody after they were produced before the court. Further investigations were underway.
