Alert traffic police nab mobile thief

MUMBAI: A team of alert traffic police personnel nabbed a cellphone thief, Shamsher Khan, outside Sion station on Wednesday. Khan has a criminal past and has also been externed from city limits earlier.
The incident took place around 12.30pm, when the car of a businessman, Neil Joshi (49), broke down near the station . A team of Matunga traffic outpost officials that was conducting a drive against helmetless riders on the stretch noticed Joshi, a Thane resident, and asked him why he had stopped in middle of the road.Joshi then got off the car, pushed it to roadside and started looking for a mechanic . Meanwhile, Khan made a dash for the car and opened the backdoor. “He pocketed Joshi’s cellphone, worth Rs 26,000, lying on the backseat and was about to flee. But passersby noticed him and raised an alarm. We were on duty nearby and immediately sprung into action,” said constable Vinod Rathod.
Rathod and his colleague, Akash Patil, chased Khan and caught hold of him. The stolen phone was recovered and Khan was taken to Dharavi police station. Khan was been booked under Section 379 of the IPC. He has five theft cases registered against him at various police stations. In the past, the Dadar police had externed him from the city.